The Tree of Freedom
by mollygibbs101
Summary: On a routine mission, SG1 come across a civilisation that has enslaved their women. While SG1 dig deeper into the reasons why, a member of their team gets into a spot of trouble. SJ. Rating has now been updated to M. Book 1 of 3 in the SG-1: Trials of Saorsa series.
1. Chapter 1

Title: The Tree of Freedom

Fandom: Stargate SG1

Characters: Jack O'Neill, Samantha Carter, Teal'c, Daniel Jackson

Pairings: SJ of course, but not exclusive, just squint a little!

Rating: T

Genre: Adventure, Friendship, Angst, Romance, Mystery

A/N: Mistakes are mine.. However ENJOY! :) and please feel free to leave a review :)

Summary: On a routine mission, SG1 come across a civilisation that has enslaved their women. While SG1 dig deeper into the reasons why, one of their team gets into a spot of trouble.

 **The Tree of Freedom**

 **Chapter 1**

The large gate cut out after General Hammond gave the team his farewell. Sam smiled at Teal'c before looking out at the landscape in front of her. The trees were a mixture of ruby and gold hues and the leaves that were falling from them looked like confetti - nature's celebration for SG1's arrival. There were some animals calling out to one another, at least, that's what Sam thought was happening, still, she gripped her gun a little closer to her body. There was a light breeze, ruffling her short blonde locks. If Sam closed her eyes, it was almost as if she was still on Earth. Well, minus the extra two suns in the sky.

"Well, campers. The drone found some ruins thataway," said O'Neill, pointing his hand in the general direction of the ruins. "The sooner we look at the rocks, the sooner we can leave."

Sam and Daniel both shot the Colonel an exasperated look. "Jack, what are you talking about? This planet is perfe-"

"Ah!" Jack silenced Daniel. "Do NOT finish that word. Every time one of us comments on how cool a place is, something happens to make it not cool anymore!"

Sam bit her lip to stop a smile from creeping onto her face. "I didn't realise you were superstitious, Sir."

"Not superstitious, Carter. Just smart." said Jack, before signalling for them all to start walking towards the ruins.

"I am in concurrence with Major Carter, O'Neill. The Tau'ri - and you - have displayed many examples of superstition." said Teal'c, his face impassive.

"Such as?" asked Jack, feigning shock.

Sam smirked and fell back so she was at the back of the group. She had learnt in the past to leave Teal'c and Jack alone when it came to their little arguments. The longer Teal'c stayed on Earth, the more he was learning and picking up. His observations of the Tau'ri way of life had sparked many an argument with the Colonel - for fun, of course. It served Daniel and Sam with entertainment on their long hikes anyway. Sam tuned back in after she heard Jack scoff out loud.

"...Cracks in the pavement, the number thirteen, a magpie-"

"My Mom never broke her back-"

"Which obviously has something to do with you avoiding cracks on the sidewalk?" input Daniel, making Teal'c raise an eyebrow.

Jack pointed at the archaeologist. "Exactly! There ya go. Concrete evidence right there! Your move, T!"

Sam shook her head and was about to comment when she walked into Colonel O'Neill's back. She took a step back and looked ahead. For a moment she was unable to see what had made the party stop. She could see the ruins not too far into the distance - about half a click away - she could see a small stream that they would need to cross to get to the ruins - not too deep judging by the watermarks on the bank - and she could see more red and golden trees.

"Sir?"

"Look at that tree, Carter. What's wrong with it?" prompted Jack, his voice barely above a whisper.

Sam followed his line of sight to see a tree in the middle of a clearing, surrounded by wooden posts with carvings. Each wooden post held a candle, flames flickering in the light breeze. The tree itself was tall, its highest point easily surpassing three gates stacked one atop of the other. The leaves were a bright emerald green with no sign of changing to red or gold any time soon. Around the entire tree and in the clearing provided by the posts, there were what looked like fireflies flying around.

"It's green, Sir." breathed Sam, completely enchanted by the tree.

"Should it not be the same as the others surrounding us?" said Teal'c, gripping his staff and pointing it in front of him with an air of suspicion.

"Maybe there's something in the water." suggested Daniel, moving forward to get a closer look. Jack reached out and caught Daniel by the scruff of his neck.

"That is not a good idea, Daniel." said Jack, loosening his grip on the archaeologist. "Touching things we don't know can lead to bad consequences."

"We could take a sample to test when we get back to Earth? Maybe there are some properties in the water that we can use as medicine?" suggested Sam.

Jack let go of Daniel's collar and nodded. "Sure, but don't let it touch you."

Sam nodded and the team continued their walk towards the stream that they had to cross. The stream in question fed directly to the tree that had raised their suspicions. The team stood at the bank of the stream, eyeing the tree with an air of awe and wonder.

"It's so ethereal." said Daniel. "I wonder if the rest of the planet is like this, you know, beyond these woods."

Jack shrugged and watched Sam as she dropped to a kneeling stance while simultaneously swinging her bag from her back to rest on the floor in front of her. She unzipped the main pocket and pulled out a jar.

"Careful Carter." said Jack eyeing her warily.

"I honestly think it is just water, Sir." replied Sam, though she did mind what she was doing. After she screwed the lid back onto the jar, she deposited it back into her bag and stood back up.

"How do you know, Carter?" asked Jack, his eyebrows raised above his sunglasses.

"Well, we know the Goa'uld terraformed the planets for human life, I'm sure they wouldn't have tampered with the water." put in Daniel, making his way over to the pair.

"I doubt this one tree has its own water source," commented Sam.

Jack was about to open his mouth to reply when he heard a splash and a shriek.

Daniel had managed to lose his footing on the bank and stumbled in, the resounding shriek was the water, caused by Daniel's lose of balance, splashing onto Sam. Daniel sat up in the water, coughing.

"It's definitely water, Jack." said Daniel, before he broke out into laughter. "Sorry Sam."

Sam shivered in the light breeze, the water was cold and was already seeping through her clothes. "It's fine, Daniel." replied Sam, trying her best not to smile. Daniel stood up and accepted the hand that Teal'c offered him.

Once they were all safely on the bank and Jack was sure Daniel was fine, they began to walk along the bank. Whilst Daniel took a swim, he had seen a path on the other side of the bank that looked like it led to the ruins that they were there to visit. The stream was significantly narrower in comparison to the rest of the stream and there was a bank of stones on either side.

They had crossed the stream and had managed to walk for about five minutes before they came into contact with what they assumed were the planet's natives.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews! I found them to be helpful and they gave me a lot of encouragement.

Just a warning, there is a little violence in this chapter. If this isn't your sort of thing, don't read it. That being said, I hope you enjoy this chapter and would love to know what you think!

As always, mistakes are mine.

 _Recap: They had crossed the stream and had managed to walk for about five minutes before they came into contact with what they assumed were the planet's natives._

 **Chapter 2**

The natives looked up and immediately raised their weapons, an action SG1 mirrored. The natives had a range of technology where their weapons were concerned. In the party of five, two of the men had bows and arrows, a woman had a small knife and the other two had what looked like guns, though they were a design that no member of SG1 had seen before.

"Uh, hi," said Daniel, tucking his gun into the small of his back. He raised his hands. "We're not here to cause any harm, we're peaceful explorers."

The taller of the two men holding the guns stepped forward. "Yet you point weapons at us."

"Hey!" said Jack, annoyed, "you pointed first." He was yet to lower his weapon and was pleased to see out of his peripheral vision that neither Teal'c or Sam had.

The tall man considered Jack's words and he bowed his head for a second. He signalled to his party that they should lower their weapons. "What brings you to Saorsa?"

"Saorsa?" asked Jack, glancing at Daniel.

The leader of the native party gestured to what was around him. "Our home."

"Your home... Your planet is called Saorsa?" asked Daniel.

The leader nodded. "Yes, and my name is Prionn. My company and I were returning back to our dwellings after spending time in the temple ruins."

"Ah, we were just on our way there," said Daniel, "we came to see them."

Prionn regarded Daniel with a quizzical look. "Why?"

"We're scholars, we want to learn about other cultures and peoples. We travel to learn and make friends."

Prionn smiled widely, though it did nothing to put Jack at ease. "A worthy reason to travel." Prionn's party agreed and smiled. "However, we must ask you to visit our temple ruins when the sun is freshly risen."

"Why's that?" asked Jack, beating Daniel to the question. "There's plenty of daylight left."

Prionn regarded Jack with a thoughtful stare. "You are not wrong. There is plenty of light to guide you to the temple ruins, though, there is not enough to guide you back. Here, on Saorsa, the night is dark and full of terrors. The Olc is not a force to be defeated so easily, I would not allow even my worst enemy to venture out in the darkness, least of all our new traveller friends."

Daniel frowned, "Olc?"

Prionn nodded. "May we escort you tomorrow to the ruins? You are more than welcome to stay with us in the meantime."

Jack pondered the offer for a moment before nodding his consent. He lowered his weapon and gestured for Prionn to lead the way. Daniel moved quickly so he was walking next to Prionn and Teal'c gestured to Jack - with the barest flicker of his eyebrow - that he would stay close to the architect. Jack motioned for Sam to stand next to him while the rest of Prionn's party passed them. Once they had, they had fallen to the back of the line, bringing up the rear.

Once they were back across the stream, Jack slowed his walk until there he was sure that the Saorsan people could not hear him. He looked at Sam, who returned the look.

"Sir?"

"What are you thinking Carter? About our new friends, I mean."

"There's something, but I'm not sure what." said Sam, watching the party in front of them. "But they seem fine so far."

Jack nodded. "That's what I thought." Jack looked at Daniel, up at the front talking animatedly with Prionn. "His rocks better be worth it."

"Yes, Sir." agreed Sam. They quickly caught up with the rest of the party and Sam noted that Prionn was completely right, they were yet to reach the dwellings and the suns were already setting, one of them already had. Their walk had dropped to silence, not because they couldn't be bothered to talk - Lord knows there was a million and one things for the team to talk about - they were taking in their surroundings, observing everything they could with their keen eyes and instincts.

Sam took in the Saorsans walking in front of them. Prionn was dressed rather grandly. He wore an indigo tunic with golden belts. His pants were loose and the same hue as his tunic. Around his waist, he had a dagger, his gun and Sam noted that he had a long whip. Prionn also wore a long cloak that dragged on the ground. Around his head was a golden circlet and Sam surmised that he was royalty of some kind.

The men in Prionn's party were more modestly dressed, though they were wearing the same style of clothing, they were a range of browns and more natural colours. Their boots matched their clothes, while Prionn's were painted gold. What made Sam's heart sink was the woman's clothes. She wore a long, grey tunic that brushed her knees, her hair was tied back with a grotty ribbon and she had no shoes on her feet. There were, what looked like, bronze or copper bracelets around her wrists and ankles.

Sam felt her stomach drop and she cursed her luck. Gateing offworld was hard, they never really knew what planet they were going to get, they'd never know the customs and rules until they got there and oftentimes, there was always a culture of repressed women. Sam knew oppression, her experience with the Shavadai aside, as a woman in the airforce and even in her scientific field, she always felt like she had to prove herself, that she was worthy to be there, but that was almost nothing in comparison to what she had seen in some societies off world.

She tried to get Jack's attention, to tell him her thoughts, when an incident did everything for her.

The woman in front fell to the floor - and it was then SG1 noticed that she was carrying a large bag and the men around her weren't. The party stopped and Jack noticed the men in Prionn's party looked annoyed, but Prionn himself was angry. His features turned harsh and he bared his teeth as he stood over the fallen woman.

"Get up, you worthless baga!"

Sam looked at Jack to see his eyebrows raised and his lips pressed into a hard line, clearly disproving of Prionn's treatment of the woman.

The dark haired woman scrambled around the floor to pick up the various fruits and items she had dropped. Sam felt herself getting upset, the woman was clearly tired, she had been walking all day. Prionn felt no such sympathy and that was when Sam discovered what the whip at his waist was for.

The whip cracked through the air and before Prionn could raise it to strike the woman again, Sam stood in the way, a hand raised to ward off his attack. "No."

Prionn regarded Sam with an angry glare and as he stepped forward, Jack raised his P90.

"Jack." warned Daniel, not wanting to make matters worse.

"Get away from her." demanded Jack, his finger hovering over the trigger.

Prionn openly laughed. "Your woman has disrespected me, are you not going to punish her?"

Sam's mouth dropped open and she stopped helping the woman on the floor to look at Jack. The men from Prionn's party had raised their weapons to point at Jack.

"Punish her?" questioned Jack incredulously.

Prionn nodded enthusiastically, mistaking Jack's aggressive tone for anger at Sam, not him. "Yes, it is custom on Saorsa to punish a woman who disrespects her superiors." He turned to look at Sam, pure venom on his face. "For her disobedience, I would see her beaten and paraded through the streets for the men to remind her of just what she is here for."

It was not the first time Sam had been threatened, but her blood turned to ice as Prionn finished speaking. The malice in his voice was enough to send a shiver down her spine. Sam swallowed her fear and looked at Jack, with a hard look in her eyes.

Jack hesitated; it was all well and good taking them back home, but at this point he wasn't sure he'd manage the run to the gate as Prionn's party had the greater firepower. He looked at Daniel, his face telling him exactly what he had just thought. They'd be fine as long as Sam kept her head down. He looked at Sam and watched her good soldier mask slip into place, ready for her to do what she needed to. Teal'c bowed his head to Jack and he knew what he needed to do.

"It's custom where we are from to deal with insubordination behind closed doors." said Daniel, once Jack nodded at him. "Carter will be dealt with later."

Prionn eyed Jack, his anger ebbing away to annoyance. "I have your word?"

"Yeah, sure, you betcha."

Prionn stood up straight, satisfied with Jack's word. "Fine." He glared at Sam. "If your woman wants to help the baga, she may."

Sam had opened her bag to place the majority of the woman's load in there. She stood up and helped the woman to her feet. The woman nodded and walked next to Sam.

Once she was sure she wouldn't be heard, Sam asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yes." The woman spoke quietly, her brown eyes fixed on the floor as she felt Sam's gaze on her.

"My name is Sam." smiled Sam, her tone gentle. Her eyes immediately finding a large red welt on her shoulder, her clothes on her back covering the rest of the mark.

"My name is Bhean." she said, bowing her head slightly, her dark hair framing her face as her long locks had fallen out of the ribbon. "I am grateful, Sam. Thank you for helping me."

"You shouldn't have to put up with it. No one should."

Bhean shrugged, seemingly deciding that Sam was someone she could trust. "It has always been this way." She fixed the blonde with a tired glance.

Sam shook her head as she whispered. "It doesn't have to be."

"Carter."

Sam stopped to see that Jack was at the back of the party with Daniel, while Teal'c was at the front talking to Prionn. Prionn's men passed her, throwing looks of contempt as they walked in front of her. Sam fell into step in between Jack and Daniel.

"Sir-"

"I know, Carter. No need to apologise." said Jack, referring to Sam's need to interfere. "Daniel, I want you to put your need to expand your rock collection aside for one minute and really think... Do we really need to be here?"

Daniel winced at Sam before nodding. "At least until tomorrow, after we've seen the ruins. Maybe it can explain why the culture is as it is now or even the tree."

Sam nodded, unfazed by Daniel's argument. "Would that be in the ruins?"

"If it wasn't in the ruins, it'd be in an archive or something, you know, or a library."

"Well," began Jack, "we've lost our ruin trip for now, you have time to kill to get busy in the library."

Both Sam and Daniel looked at Jack, they could hear the unease in his voice. He really was not comfortable being here. Sam was about to question him when Teal'c appeared.

"I have been talking to Prionn about his weapons. His gun is made to fire energy, much like my staff weapon." he reported.

Jack groaned, "So they're either Goa'uld-"

"Sorry to interrupt, Sir, but I don't think they are." said Sam.

Daniel nodded. "Same, they would have said something about Teal'c if that's the case. Or at least have markings to show what Goa'uld they serve. Jack, we really need to get to those ruins."

"So, if they aren't snakeheads, what are they?" questioned Jack. The question went unanswered as they reached the top of the path they were following. A short distance, there was a town upon a small hill. At the bottom of the hill were houses with wooden or thatched roofs, even from where they were stood, they could hear shouts and laughter from the people. As the hill went up, the quality of the houses did, until they saw the home at the top of the hill. It was a castle, for lack of better words. It had turrets and towers, mostly made of brick and stone, but there were golden bricks on top of the castle.

"Woah.." breathed Daniel. "This is similar to the Middle Ages. The peasantry at the bottom, military in the middle and the King at the top." Sam gripped her weapon as she noticed Prionn walking over to them.

Prionn lowered his head to Jack. "Welcome to our home, it is a lot smaller than our Summer dwellings, but we have plenty of room for you. If you would follow us, we will show you where you can stay."

Jack nodded and gestured for him to lead the way. Prionn had walked a fair distance when Jack spoke. "Carter-"

"I know, Sir." said Sam, giving her Commanding Officer a small smile. "I'll keep my head down."

"Major Carter, I believe it would be best for you not to speak at all, unless we are alone." advised Teal'c, his eyebrow twitching with distaste for the situation.

"See if you can speak to the girl a bit more, okay?" suggested Jack. He hated missions like this, truly. He knew Sam was a powder keg with this kind of stuff, not that he blamed her. One wrong comment or action and she would explode, their experience with the Shavadai was enough evidence. He knew she could hold her own, but there was something about Prionn that made him feel like his job would be ten times harder.

"Yes, Sir."

"While we're all here, I want someone with you at all times, Carter. I don't trust them." said Jack, a hint of anger in his voice.

"I understand, Sir." agreed Sam, though they could tell exactly how she fell about that. "At least our trip here will be worth something."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Major?"

"Their weapons are like Teal'c's, that means they might have some naquadah." pointed out Sam, with a half hearted shrug.

With that in mind, they continued the walk towards the town. Ready to learn and see just how a simple race of people had managed to procure weapons more advanced than them. While they were still walking, Jack felt more and more uneasy. He looked at Daniel, who seemed to be taking it all in his stride, he hoped it was worth it, because if then Saorsans hurt Sam, he'd have no problem starting a world war.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews for the last chapter, they really make my day and I love forward to reading them! I especially love replying to them, so make sure you sign in so I can do that!

And thank you so much for the favourites and the author alerts!

I've just settled back into my work routine, so I shall try to publish on a Friday evening every week! If not a Friday, it will be a Sunday of the same week! So keep an eye out!

As always, my mistakes are my own.

 _Recap: With that in mind, they continued the walk towards the town. Ready to learn and see just how a simple race of people had managed to procure weapons more advanced than them. While they were still walking, Jack felt more and more uneasy. He looked at Daniel, who seemed to be taking it all in his stride, he hoped it was worth it, because if then Saorsans hurt Sam, he'd have no problem starting a world war._

 **Chapter 3**

As soon as SG1 stepped in through the gates of Prionn's dwelling, their senses were assaulted by smells, colours and sounds, but most importantly, injustice.

As they walked through the town, they could smell sewage and animal faeces. Jack went to breathing through his mouth straight away, after gagging a little. They walked a little further up the hill and saw that there were taverns and inns, along with houses. He could see women similarly clothed to Prionn's servant, serving what looked like ale or beer to men dotted around the outside tables. They all had weapons, so Jack assumed they were soldiers. A man pulled at one of the women and she fell into his lap, the men around jeered and the woman looked terrified as he began to pull at the fastenings on her clothing.

Jack reached out and grabbed Sam's sleeve. "Carter..."

"Sir," she breathed, the anguish audible in her voice, "please."

"We can't, not right now." Jack felt his sunny disposition turn a little cloudy at the look on Sam's face.

Sam nodded and pulled her sleeve free from Jack's grip. She focused on what was around her, looking for possible escape routes if they needed them.

They reached a public square of sorts and saw that a large group of people had gathered to greet Prionn.

"Our Prince has returned!" One called.

"How faired the ruins, Sir?"

"Did you hear the Spirits?"

Prionn smiled and waved at them all, he stood on a platform in the middle and addressed the crowd. "I fair well, thank you, my family has such gracious people to reign over-" The crowds cheered and Prionn continued, "I saw the temple ruins and I saw the scriptures. The Spirits send their regards and they informed me that my reign will be a long and prosperous one – men will continue to rise, like oak trees; strong and sturdy." The crowd cheered again and Prionn waved at them before stepping down from the platform.

Prionn smiled at SG1, "My people make all feel welcome, even slaves." he said, regarding Sam with a thoughtful look. "Come, we are nearly there."

The party began walking and Sam found herself flanked by Teal'c and Jack with Daniel taking point. Sam hated to admit it, but she felt a lot better having her guys around her. The stares and the aggressive looks towards her didn't affect her as much with Jack and Teal'c by her side. The walk took them further up the hill until they reached another gate.

Prionn announced himself and the gates swung open, they entered through the gates and there were women to take the Party's weapons and belongings. Bhean went with the women and Prionn looked at SG1.

"You will keep your weapons with you?"

"I'd prefer to, yeah." deadpanned Jack, making Sam bite back a smirk.

Prionn bowed his head. "That is, of course, your prerogative. However, I must insist the woman is unarmed."

Jack shook his head. "Oh, that's not gonna happen."

The men guarding the gate turned and began to raise their weapons. Teal'c raised his staff, while Jack raised his P90. Daniel winced and stepped into the middle of it. "Jack, Sam won't be alone, she'll be fine."

"Yes, Sir." agreed Sam, removing her gun.

Jack nodded, though he didn't agree. "Fine," he turned to Prionn, "I want them back though."

Prionn bowed. "Of course, when your stay here is over, you may reclaim them."

The men waited patiently while Sam removed her weapons. She quickly made her way to stand next to Teal'c and Prionn smiled. "Now, I may take you inside."

SG1 followed Prionn into the castle. The inside of the castle was lit with fire torches and the cold, brick walls were adorned with different materials. On each of the materials, there was an insignia, which they assumed was meant to show who lived here. The insignia was a gold circle with a tree inside it. Sam wondered if it was the tree they had crossed in the clearing.

Sam noted as they went further into the castle, there was a lot of twists and turns and every time they did so, she noticed that all of the corridors and hallways looked exactly the same. But hey, if she could figure out her way through a Goa'uld mothership, she was sure she could cope in here.

They eventually came to large oak doors, closed shut with heavy bronze handles to open them. Prionn looked at SG1, pride in his eyes as he showed them his home. "My father resides in here." He looked at Jack. "I am aware your culture is different to ours," his eyes flickered to Sam and back, "but my father will not tolerate a woman's insubordination. He will see that she is punished as soon as he orders, not later. Might I suggest she does not speak unless spoken to and she does not make eye contact with any man. I will not be able to protect her, and neither will you." he warned, before opening the doors.

Prionn stepped in and SG1 followed suit. The room was bigger than the gate room back in the SGC and there were candlebras dotted around the room. There was a long table in the middle of the room and a roaring fire near the head of the table. There was a throne on the other side of the room and on that throne was a man dressed similarly to Prionn, only his clothes were a deep ruby red and on his head stood a crown, studded with bright gems.

He had a greying beard and tired look in his eyes. Like Prionn, he had a dagger and a whip at his waist. Stood next to him were two women, one significantly older than the other. Their clothes were similar to Bhean's however, they were of better quality and light blue. The circlets around their ankles and wrists were not bronze, like Bhean's, but gold. Sam's heart sank, had the King really enslaved his wife and daughter?

The King stood and regarded his son and SG1 with an interested stare. "My son, who are these people?"

"They are travellers, my Father," Prionn bowed, "they travel to learn of culture and the different ways. They wish to be our friends."

The King crossed the short distance from the throne to where SG1 were stood in front of him. "Fascinating. What do you hope to learn?"

Daniel stepped forward. "We hope to learn of your culture, we were interested to see your temple ruins," Jack coughed, "and maybe an archive or library to learn of your history, if possible?"

The King smiled widely, "Of course, learning is how any man can better himself. Knowledge is power. We have a scholar that would gladly assist you in your studies."

Daniel blinked, "Thank you." Most races were secretive and sensitive about the information they shared with others. It was unusual to just give it up so willingly.

"My name is King Rìgh. What do I call you?"

"My name's Jack, the scholar you just spoke to is Daniel, that's Teal'c," Teal'c bowed his head slightly as Rìgh looked at him, "and this is Carter."

King Rìgh raised his eyebrows as he looked Sam up and down. "You refer to your woman with her name? Interesting."

Jack nodded, "It's common practise where we're from."

"I meant no offence, Jack. It is different here."

"I noticed." said Jack, dryly.

King Rìgh nodded and gestured towards the table in the middle. "You are our honoured guests, let's eat an early evening meal together, there is a lot to prepare for this evening."

The team exchanged a look before sitting down at the table. King Rìgh eyed Sam with interest before looking at the men of SG1 with a great smile. "I can guess you have questions."

Daniel nodded and Jack tuned out, Sam bit back a smile and Teal'c seemingly kept up the pretence of interest. "I have so many."

The King bowed his head, "I am glad, but for now, let us eat. I will have a scholar take you to our library, perhaps some of them will be answered there. And if they are not, this evening's celebrations will answer them."

Prionn nodded enthusiastically. "You arrived at the perfect time, we have this celebration once a moon."

"It is one for all to enjoy." remarked the King as his servants began to bring out food. He eyed Sam again before looking at Jack. "Your woman might be more comfortable in the kitchens with the others."

Jack shook his head. "She stays with me." _No freaking way._

King Rìgh exhaled before nodding, "Your ways are foreign to us, but I understand."

Sam let out a breath she didn't realise she was holding, the King wasn't as bad as Prionn had made him out to be. She looked at Prionn and she didn't miss the look of pure loathing on his face. She looked back down and ate her meal quietly. She never would say this out loud, but she couldn't wait for this mission to be over.

Dinner passed quickly and SG1 found themselves being escorted to their chambers by Bhean and the younger of the two servants that attended to King Rìgh. The team were unsettled to find that they all had separate bedrooms. Jack noted with distaste that Sam's was hardly a place to rest, at all. Where they had soft, plush cushions on a four poster bed, Sam had a mattress and a thin blanket. Her room looked more like a prison cell than a place of rest. Jack informed Bhean that Sam would be staying with him, much to the dismay on Sam's face.

"Sir-"

"Relax Carter, one night won't kill you." he regarded her thoughtfully, "it just might if you stay in that room though."

At that Sam nodded and looked away, frustrated at the predicament she was in. Bhean nodded at Jack and led them back to his room. Sam dropped to the back of the group to speak to the other servant.

"Hello, I'm Carter."

The girl looked at her, with shock on her face. She looked a lot like Prionn, with her auburn coloured hair and her green eyes. "Hello." she said softly, it almost sounded like she wasn't used to her voice.

"What's your name?" asked Sam, a friendly smile on her face to let her know it was okay to speak.

The girl hesitated before lowering her head. "Banaphri."

"That's a nice name, Banaphri." said Sam, "How long have you worked for the king?"

"Since I was able to walk and follow clear instruction." replied Banaphri. "My Mother serves him as well."

Sam nodded. "You look a lot like Prionn..."

Banaphri nodded. "He is my twin brother."

Sam stopped dead in her tracks. "You are your father's servant? How could he do that to his own daughter?"

"It has been this way for generations, Carter." said Banaphri. "My father is protecting us."

Sam's brows furrowed at Banaphri's statement, she was about to reply, when Jack called her. They were back at his room. Sam smiled at Banaphri and Bhean curtsied. Sam watched them leave and she walked into Jack's room.

Jack closed the door and looked at the blonde wandering his room. Jack felt awful, he had never seen her look so lost on a mission before. Sure, they've come across a few cultures that see women as second best, but this had to be the worst by far. He deposited his weapon on the bed and cleared his throat, he had to bite back the smirk when Sam took that as her signal to stand to attention. Ever the soldier...

"You okay?"

Sam scoffed. "How long do you have?"

"Stupid question, I know." said Jack, he lowered himself into the chair by the fire, his knees cracking as he did so. "Sam-"

"I'm fine, Sir. Honestly."

Jack shook his head and chuckled. He watched as Sam moved to lower herself to sit on a cushion in front of the fire. Even though the third sun in the sky was to set, it was still quite dark outside and with the darkness spread a chill throughout the evening.

"What's so funny, Sir?" asked Sam, the fire's glow warming her face.

"Nothing at all, Carter." smiled Jack, feeling warmer as Sam returned the smile. "I heard you speaking to the other girl."

"Banaphri. Princess Banaphri, actually. She's Prionn's twin."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"The thing I don't get is that she just accepts what it is. She's royalty, yet she's expected to serve her father. I asked her what it was about and she just said it has been happening for generations. Banaphri said that her father was protecting them by making them servants."

"Protecting them from what?!" questioned Jack incredulously.

Sam shrugged. "Maybe Daniel will find out in the library."

After Sam had spoken, the door to Jack's room swung open and Daniel and Teal'c walked in. Teal'c closed the door quietly behind them and joined the rest of SG1 sitting in front of the fire. Daniel seemed excited about something and Jack had a sense of foreboding for what he was going to say.

"Daniel-" began Jack, his tone a warning one.

"Jack, just bear with me." said Daniel, cutting in, "it's taken me a while, but I've finally got it. The language roots here are Gaelic."

Jack exchanged a confused look with Sam and Teal'c before looking at his bespectacled colleague. "What's that got to do with anything?"

"Well, we know they aren't Goa'uld. They probably had dealings with them at some point, but they have no ties, apart from their technology." said Daniel. "Teal'c hasn't been able to sense anything Goa'uld since we've been here."

"Well, that's great, Daniel," interrupted Jack, "it still doesn't explain what the hell you're talking about."

Daniel pinched the bridge of his nose as he closed his eyes, as he often did when Jack was taking particularly long to understand something, he exhaled sharply. "Maybe it explains their behaviour? Maybe that's why they treat the women they do..." When he was met with further blank looks, he continued, "We have come across countless civilisations that treat the women as inferior or oppressed. Our civilisation didn't really kick that until the late 1800s and still there is work that needs to be done, but we've also come across plenty that do so to protect their women from the Goa'uld or other races. Prionn spoke of the Olc.. that loosely translates as evil."

"So, the reason they may be doing that is to protect them from evil, whatever The Olc is?" surmised Sam.

"That's what I think." said Daniel. "What if there really is an evil here that causes harm to women? What if it is the only way they know how to keep them safe?"

Jack sighed, "I don't know Daniel. There's protecting women and there is treating them like dirt. Need I remind you of what Prionn said to Sam?"

"It's just a thought, Jack. King Rìgh said we can look in the library with their scholar. I'm sure there'll be something there."

Jack nodded. "Well, find out, would ya? I feel like we need to get to the bottom of this." Jack stood and pulled his sidearm from his gear and he handed it to Sam.

"Thanks, Sir." she said. She stood and tucked it into the small of her back and covered it with her t-shirt.

There was a knock on the door, making the four of them jump. "My name is Glic, may I come in?" sounded a male's voice.

"Sure." said Jack, noting that Teal'c moved to stand close to Sam. He smiled at the gesture before schooling his features to watch the door open slowly.

A man entered the room, wearing a grey tunic and what appeared to be a white cloak. He smiled at the men and bowed once he saw Sam. "I am here to escort Daniel to our library. I'm afraid it will not be for long, there are matters that need attending to for tonight's occasion."

Daniel nodded, "I'm sure it will be plenty of time. Maybe if there is time after the celebration I can visit again?" he asked hopefully, earning an eye roll from Jack.

"Of course," said Glic, "I will ask our King, I am sure there will be no problem."

"Great." said Jack sarcastically, "Teal'c, go with him, won't ya? I don't want him getting lost."

Daniel rolled his eyes, but nonetheless, he and Teal'c followed Glic out of Jack's room. The door closed with a creak and a gentle bang - as gentle as oak doors can - and Jack looked at Sam.

"Sir?"

"What do you want to do to kill a few hours?" asked Jack with a grin, "I left my cards on base."


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I couldn't find the actual planet number or name so I made it up, my bad :/

Might I suggest getting a cup of tea and a biscuit? This chapter is a little long..

Again, thank you so much for your reviews, especially to Skater1263 and Nephertiri, this chapter is for you. I hope you like it!

Let me know what you all think! Please sign in when you review – I enjoy writing back!

Also, I have a poll on my profile page – gosh, I haven't done one of those in a while! Have a gander!

As always, mistakes are mine!

 _Recap: Daniel rolled his eyes, but nonetheless, he and Teal'c followed Glic out of Jack's room. The door closed with a creak and a gentle bang - as gentle as oak doors can - and Jack looked at Sam._

 _"Sir?"_

 _"What do you want to do to kill a few hours?" asked Jack with a grin, "I left my cards on base."_

 **Chapter 4**

After much debate, Jack decided that he and Sam would take a walk around the town. He had his reservations about taking Sam out, but he knew that she would go stir crazy if she had nothing to do. Sam would never complain about being locked away in a castle, especially if she knew it was for her safety, and she didn't say anything about his choice, but he could tell she was grateful. She almost had a bounce in her step as they walked back out of the castle and out of the gates. Yeah, a little recon would do her some good.

The way they walked was well lit by lanterns, the third sun touching the horizon, it was almost pitch black. They noted that there was bunting hung up around the town square and what they didn't notice before was four long, wooden poles on top of the platform that Prionn had spoken to the people on earlier.

They exchanged a look before continuing on their way. There were smells in the air of freshly baked bread and goods. They watched women rolling barrels of what they assumed was their equivalent of alcohol towards the square and there were laughs from children as they watched what looked like a jester entertaining them.

Jack and Sam took a turn down an alley away from the main street and they found themselves in almost silence. They followed the path until it took them far from the square, but not so far that they couldn't see each individual lantern in the distance. They eventually stopped when they came to what looked like a small park, there was a small lake and dotted around the lake, there were burning torches flickering in the wind.

Jack took a few steps further and saw that there was a fishing deck. His eyes lit up and he couldn't help but fist pump. Hearing Sam's light chuckle, he turned. "In every desert, there's an oasis, Major, remember that."

"Yes, Sir." her amusement very apparent.

"Should've brought my rod." he grinned.

Sam nodded and walked to stand next to him. "It's nice here. You know, minus the obvious oppression. It's almost like the legends of King Arthur and Merlin."

Jack contemplated her point before nodding. "It _is_ nice here, apart from few of the locals." When Sam just looked at him, he continued, "I get the impression that Prionn is more pro-slave than good old King Rìgh."

Sam nodded. "I agree. He's almost malicious about it rather than it being a 'necessity'."

"Well, Carter, in less than twenty-four hours, we'll be back under Cheyenne Mountain, away from that-"

"Jerk, Sir?"

Jack smirked at Sam's choice of word. "Major! Watch your language!" After Sam stifled a giggle, he grinned. "I would have chosen something a little more colourful."

"Yes, Sir." smiled Sam.

Jack watched as Sam crouched next to the water, he mirrored her moves and noted how she fixed him with a stare, similar to one Teal'c would give. "Carter, answer a question for me, will ya?"

Sam hesitated, knowing exactly what her CO was going to ask. "Sir?"

"Are you okay? Honestly?"

Sam let out a long sigh, before looking over the water. "I can't pretend I'm thrilled about being here, but as you said, in less than twenty four hours, we'll be knee deep in what promises to be a very uneventful report."

Jack nodded. His 2IC never failed to impress him. "Well, all you have to do is say the word and we'll leave. Olc or no Olc."

Sam accepted his offer. "Thank you, Sir. I'll be fine until morning. Really." she added, after noticing the concern on his face.

The tranquility of the lake was disturbed as several pairs of footsteps came towards Jack and Sam. They stood to attention as they recognised the people coming towards them. Bhean and Banaphri were walking towards the pair, followed by one of the men that was in Prionn's party on the way back from the temple ruins.

Banaphri and Bhean bowed deeply before Jack and they shared a small smile with Sam. "Jack, your scholar Daniel has requested your presence in the Library." reported Bhean. "Blár and I are to escort you to the Library."

"Alright," said Jack, holding his P90 tightly, "Carter's coming too."

"Forgive me, but women are not permitted to enter the Library. It is forbidden. Banaphri is here to escort Carter to your chambers." as Bhean spoke, Jack and Sam's guts were shouting at them.

"I can assure you no harm will come to your woman." said Blár.

It did nothing to soothe Jack's warning bells.

"Sir, I'll be alright. It must be important if Daniel wants you to see." said Sam. "We'd be walking back to the castle together anyway."

"Forgive me, Carter, but the Library is not within the castle's grounds. It lies to the west, just outside of the walls." corrected Bhean.

Jack and Sam exchanged looks, a whole conversation passing over their faces with their expressions. They quickly weighed up the pros and cons before a nod from Sam left Jack to speak. "Fine, but she's taking my spare radio, I want to be able to contact her at all times."

Bhean and Banaphri bowed and turned to lead them back to the castle. Jack pulled Sam's radio out of his vest and handed it over to her, grateful he had the foresight to remove it earlier when Sam was disarmed.

They walked together silently until they reached the Library, Jack looked at Sam, an unreadable expression on his face. "Any questions you want Danny boy to answer?"

"What happened?"

Jack smirked and tipped his hat to Sam and watched as Banaphri led her back into the castle. He watched her walk away, the light from the lanterns bouncing off of her golden hair. He waited until she was in the castle grounds completely before letting Blár escort him into the Library. Bhean was instructed to wait outside, ready to escort Jack back to his room.

oOoOoOoOoOo

Sam followed Banaphri silently. She bit back a smile as she realised that until she had entered the castle grounds, she felt Jack's gaze burning into her, watching every step she took. Once in the castle grounds, she watched as Banaphri bowed at every man she passed, but Sam noted that most of the men she bowed to, returned the bow. Even though, Banaphri was considered inferior, they still bowed and afforded her the same unspoken courtesy that they would Prionn or King Rìgh.

Sam felt so confused, that was before she realised Jack was right. There really was a divide amongst the men about how the women were treated. Sam noted that those that were harsher towards the women seemed to follow Prionn's line of thinking. She could imagine a civil war of some sorts brewing and bubbling away on the planet, hopefully they would be long gone before that burst into life.

Major Carter tapped back into reality and suddenly felt uneasy when she realised that they had turned a corner she didn't recognise. "Uh, Banaphri, the Colonel's room isn't this way."

"I have been instructed to bring you this way." said Banaphri, "Prionn is looking for you now that he knows you are alone. He will look for you in Jack's room."

Sam stopped to a halt. "What?"

Banaphri looked at Sam, she looked deeply apologetic. "Please, Carter." When Sam didn't budge, she continued, "Prionn has not been challenged by a woman before. He is angry, he feels that Jack did not punish you accordingly, he spoke of dealing with you himself. I fear for you."

"Banaphri, I'm not scared of him."

"Not yet," Banaphri repressed a shudder, "please, Carter. My mother and I wish to keep you safe." She reached forward and gripped Sam's wrist. She pulled at Sam, making her move. Once Sam was walking, Banaphri sped up her walking and they came to a door. The servant princess knocked on the door, two raps of her knuckles. The door swung open to reveal the other servant that was stood behind King Rìgh. Banaphri dragged Sam into the room and the woman closed the door quickly, locking it with a brass key.

The woman looked almost identical to Banaphri. Her long auburn hair had silver shimmers, showing her age. She had a fine face, though the creases around her mouth and eyes added wisdom to her features. She stepped forward and rest her hands on Sam's shoulders.

"You are safe here, Carter. Prionn will not venture this way."

Sam nodded, "Thank you, your Grace."

Banaphri's mother viewed Sam with wide eyes, apparently not used to hearing such a title. Her eyes creased and she laughed. Sam smiled, it was like listening to tinkling china. "I have not been called a Grace before."

"It's a name someone might call someone of royalty, where I'm from." explained Sam. She felt herself being pulled to sit in a plush chair by the fire. Once she was seated, Sam smiled at the two royal women as they sat opposite her. Banaphri sat on a small stool while her mother sat in a rocking chair. "Forgive me, I don't know your name."

The servant Queen smiled. "My name is Bhanrí, Carter."

"Thank you for hiding me in here. I hope it won't cause you trouble."

Bhanrí gave Sam a sad smile, before twisting the gold bracelet on her slender arm. She seemed nervous, but determined. She smiled at her daughter, "Do not let the situation worry you, Carter. We are happy to help and we are used to such things."

Sam shook her head. "It shouldn't be like this."

Bhanrí frowned at Sam. "Is it not like this where you come from?"

"It used to be, women were seen as you are now, but it all changed," confessed Sam. As she saw Banaphri's attention focus on her, she continued. "Women on my world were once like you, though not as harsh. They were considered their fathers' or husbands' property. One day, they decided they had had enough, they asked themselves why they couldn't be equal."

"Equal to men? Really?" asked Banaphri, her eyes seemed to dance with excitement.

"Yeah, they protested, they campaigned and the ideas that started with few women spread to loads. Before we knew it, we could vote, work, be our own people in control of our own lives. We didn't have to have children if we didn't want to. Our planet even has queens and princesses."

"That's incredible." breathed Banaphri. "I wish we could do it here."

"There's no reason you can't." said Sam. "If you drop a pebble into a pond, the ripples start small, but they grow."

"You are quite right, Carter." said Bhanrí, she stroked her daughter's hair, "though, in my lifetime? I doubt it."

Sam felt herself deflate a little. "What's the King like?" asked Sam. She wanted to steer the conversation away from making the Queen sad, but at the same time, she remembered her Colonel's order.

Bhanrí patted her daughter's head and watched with fondness in her eyes as Banaphri got up and excused herself to her room. She smiled at Sam before excusing herself.

For a moment, Sam felt a little guilty. She felt as if she had hurt the Queen's feelings or made her uncomfortable. She was about to apologise when Bhanrí returned with steaming cups. She offered one to Sam before taking her seat.

"Such conversations are best done with warm drinks, no?" smiled the Queen, taking a sip of her own drink. Encouraged, Sam did the same and was pleasantly surprised to taste mint and nettles - or at least, something similar.

"Before I speak, Carter, you must understand, I do so freely. When I am not in service, I speak my mind and thoughts aloud without fear of repercussion."

"Of course." said Sam.

"My husband is one of the kindest men I have known." At Sam's wide eyes, Bhanrí laughed. "It is surprising for you to hear, no?"

"Well, yes. Prionn implied that he was to be feared."

Bhanrí shook her head before looking into the fire. The flames flickered and reflected in her eyes. In the fire's light, she looked thoughtful and wise beyond her years. When she finally spoke, she did so in a quiet voice.

"My husband is not one to fear. He treats me as his wife, not a servant to his will. I wear the bracelets to appease others, not my husband. How can I explain?" She shuffled in her seat before making direct eye contact with Sam, "Men here, they take their wives, she has very little say in who she marries. Rìgh was different, he made his claim when he was young, but in the shadows, he courted me. He was so different. He asked me if I wanted to marry him, he did not force me."

Sam smiled as she watched Bhanrí reminisce. "He is the King, right? Why doesn't he act like that all the time."

"I don't know how it works on your world, Carter, but Kings are of one family. Their sons take their place when it is time. Rìgh's father was an awful man. He enjoyed seeing women suffer and sadly, a lot of our people felt the same. Some of Rìgh's generation feel the same as him, but Prionn's; the select few of his generation feel much like Rìgh's father. Does that make sense?"

Sam nodded slowly. "Rìgh doesn't want to be seen as weak, least of all by Prionn."

"If Prionn senses Rìgh's true beliefs, Prionn will challenge him and I shudder to think of what may happen under Prionn's reign."

Sensing the Queen's sadness, the scientist reached over to hold her hand. Sam didn't know what to say to Bhanrí. "I would have liked to meet the real King Rìgh."

Bhanrí smiled. "He is a good man. It is Prionn I fear for. He is worse than his grandfather... and there is nothing I can do to stop it."

"Only a small amount of people feel like Prionn, right?"

Bhanrí nodded, "Only a handful of his generation, but they are ruthless and violent, Carter. It would not be wise to go against them."

"Maybe not," agreed Sam, "but if you add the women into the mix, you outnumber him."

Bhanrí smiled at Sam and leant over to place a small hand on her face. "You have spirit, Carter and I feel more hope than I ever have when I hear you speak. You have such wonder and wisdom about you, but I cannot risk Rìgh being discovered and I cannot risk an early reign for Prionn."

Sam nodded and once she did, Bhanrí pulled her hand away. "I understand."

"Good." Bhanrí finished her drink and smiled at Sam, "Now, may I hear more of your world?"

oOoOoOoOoOo

"Right, Daniel, this had better be good." said Jack, as Blár lead him to where Daniel and Teal'c were.

"Jack, good. Wait, where's Sam?" asked Daniel, pushing his glasses up his nose as he realised Jack was by himself.

"She's not allowed in here, so Bana- Bana... Banana took her back to her room." said Jack, he walked up to Daniel to have a look at what he was looking at. He blinked heavily and rubbed his eyes as he saw what Daniel was reading. "Uh, Danny... what's that?"

"I was right, it's a variation of Gaelic. I've been looking for the Olc." said Daniel, placing the scroll he had in his hand down and picking up another one. He scanned it quickly, his finger trailing on the page as he read down. " _...from the darkness under a full moon is when the Olc became. Legend has it that the Olc travelled on the night of a full moon searching for the souls of sinners. It has claimed lives for more than three centuries. In the early rituals, it was discovered that the Olc favoured the souls of women of age. In the dark of the night, they vanished without trace, never to be seen from again. Searches around the lands found no source of where the women disappeared to and it is known that the Olc guides them to hell._ "

"It only takes women? Why?"

Daniel shrugged, "I can't find any record of that. Maybe they were most likely to be selected by the Goa'uld when they were here. I mean, this isn't the first case we've heard of. Remember when we visited that planet that was living in the dark ages?"

"You are referring to PX-1807?" asked Teal'c.

"Yeah, and there was an Unas named the Demon?"

"Yeah and we got strung up and he worked for Sokar?" finished Jack. "Right, so these people might not have Goa'uld present but they could be hosts?"

"Exactly," nodded Daniel, "what if these people have to send hosts to stop the Goa'uld from coming to Saorsa?"

Jack took his hat off and ran his hand through his hair. "But that doesn't make sense for the women. I mean, Daniel, you've seen how they're treated."

"It makes perfect sense. If the women have no property or power, their society can still function because the power isn't disrupted. The King will still be here to rule if the Queen is taken."

It clicked for Jack. "They make out like they don't care so they can carry on?"

"That's what I think." said Daniel, putting the scroll down.

"So all we have to do is take out the Unas. Then the Saorsans can get a little more forward thinking when it comes to the women." said Jack, he was thinking out loud at this point, Daniel and Teal'c knew that, but he would be interested to hear what Sam would think.

"We should make a plan." suggested Teal'c. "And we should tell King Rìgh of what we have discovered."

"We need to see this Olc thing first." said Jack, "if it is a hostile Unas, I'm happy to start shooting... it's one less Goa'uld to deal with."

Glic came over to them and bowed deeply. He winced at how scattered the scrolls were but he smiled at SG1. "We have to leave the Library now. The ceremony will be starting soon."

Jack nodded. "Right." He patted Daniel's shoulder. "Good work Danny. Lemme find Carter, let her know what we're dealing with and then we can scope out the place, find out more about the Olc and decide what we are going to do."

He put his cap back on his head and turned to find Blár. He was confused as he wasn't there. He left Daniel and Teal'c for the Library entrance. As he stepped outside, he noticed that the suns were completely gone and that there was a moon in the sky. It was bright and served as a large night light illuminating the town. He also noticed that there was a light rain and that Bhean had not moved from the position she was in.

"Jesus." Jack shrugged off his BDU jacket and gave it to the shivering woman. "Take it."

"Thank you, Jack." Bhean put it on and smiled at him. "Are you ready to go back to the castle?"

"Yeah, have you seen Blár?" he asked as he fell into step next to Bhean.

"Yes, he has returned to the castle. He left when the moon began rising."

Not for the first time on the mission, Jack felt his stomach drop. He picked up his speed and Bhean followed.

"Jack?"

"We need to find Carter."


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Hi everyone, here's the latest installment. I apologise that it's a day late, I had a few jobs I needed to do on Sunday, and sadly, posting this fell to the bottom of the list. I'm looking forward to posting again, on Sunday!

Thank you so much for the reviews! I really do look forward to reading them and replying to them. I love to hear what you think about the fic so far! I think it's paced quite well, not moving too fast, but I'd love to know what you think!

Extra special thanks to; **dpdp, Wiggiesmom, USNeshama, nephertiri and houghtam** – I love reading your reviews and chatting back to you. This one is for you.

As always, mistakes are mine.

 _Recap: Not for the first time on the mission, Jack felt his stomach drop. He picked up his speed and Bhean followed._

 _"Jack?"_

 _"We need to find Carter."_

 **Chapter 5**

Prionn paced his room impatiently, twirling his dagger in his hands. As soon as he had realised that Jack and Sam had split up, he had gone off, intent on finding the blonde female. His blood rushed through his veins at an unnatural pace. He had never been so angry in his life.

Had they no respect? He had seen the look if disbelief on Jack's face when he suggested he should punish the woman for her disrespect and even though Jack said he would take care of it, Sam was still walking around without a trace of regret in her. His father had not helped matters either, but that was a problem for a different day.

He could sense the insubordination in Sam and he did not want her spreading her ridiculous ideas around for others to believe in. It didn't matter, even if they did, they would be punished regardless.

He had searched Sam's room first, she was not there. Then Teal'c's, then Daniel's before coming to Jack's room. There was no sign of the golden haired troublemaker anywhere. He had stormed off back to his room, his hands aching to find a home around her neck. He would make an example of her. He would show them all who was really in control.

In a fit of rage, he threw his dagger and it stuck with a thud in his door. The door opened slowly revealing Blár. He looked at the dagger with wide eyes before entering the room. He closed the door quickly behind him.

"Prionn, I know where Carter is."

Prionn smirked and quickly retrieved his dagger. "Where is she?"

"Your sister took her to her chambers. I believe she is still there."

Prionn's pressed his lips together to a thin line. His eyes widened and the vein in his temple pulsed quickly. "She did what?! Never matter, we will see for ourselves."

Prionn left his room, taking large strides towards his mother's and sister's chambers. He barely registered Blár trying his best to catch up, his short, stumpy legs working double time to keep up with his long, purposeful strides. He rounded the corner that would lead to the correct corridor and within four steps, he was turning the brass knob that would open the door. Once he saw that it was not shifting, he started banging on the door with his fists.

"Open this door!"

He heard the key turning in the door and he was met by his sister as it swung open. He grabbed his sister by her hair and pulled her face up to meet his. His eyes flashed and he felt a little sated as he saw the fear in her eyes. "Where is Carter?"

Banaphri whimpered as he pulled on her hair tighter. "I.. I don't-"

"Lie to me, Sister and I will have your tongue removed. Where is she?!"

Tears pooled in his sister's eyes. "Prionn-"

Her pleas were cut off by a sharp sounding slap across her face, the echoes bounced around the room, stunning all within it to silence. Tears flowed freely down Banaphri's face and if possible, Prionn's face got even uglier as he snarled at his older sister.

"Once more, I will ask you, baga. If you do not answer me, I will throw you to the Olc myself." Prionn pulled his sister's face level with his. "Where is that golden headed whore?"

Banaphri closed her mouth and scrunched her eyes shut. With a rageful howl, Prionn threw Banaphri onto the floor. He pulled out his dagger and stood above her. "Never before have I seen such insolence from a worthless bitch in all of my life. Your petty rebellion will end here. Perhaps the Olc will not get you after all!"

Banaphri screamed and Sam rounded the corner. Prionn looked up in time to see a well delivered high kick make contact with his face. He stumbled back, dropping his dagger as he clutched his nose.

While he was distracted, Sam scooped up Banaphri and ushered her towards her mother. "Get out of here!"

Bhanrí bowed her head and left with her daughter in her arms. Sam turned to see Prionn had recovered and was glaring at her with more hatred than she thought possible. Sam noted, with a flicker of a smirk, that she had definitely broken his nose, if the blood dripping down his face was anything to go by. Prionn charged at Sam and while she blocked his first punch, she missed the second. The punch to her temple stunned her for a second, but that was all Prionn needed to get her onto the floor. He pinned Sam's hands above her head with one hand and raised his other and curled it into a fist.

"You," spat Prionn, blood speckling Sam's pale skin. "You are the worst thing that has happened to my home. I know Jack did not deal with you when he should have done. But it is fortunate I know how it can be dealt with." He delivered a punch to Sam's face, busting her lip and was happy to see that blood was dripping down her face. "Just you wait, you stupid bitch."

He delivered another to Sam's face before getting off of her. He grabbed her by the front of her jacket and threw her away from him. She crashed into Bhanrí's chair, by the fire and crumpled to the floor.

Prionn righted his clothes, bent low to pick up his dagger and left his mother's and sister's quarters. Blár regarded Sam with a distant look before he followed his prince.

Sam watched them leave and once she was sure he was gone, she moved herself to an upright position. Her ribs screamed at her in protest and while Sam was a bit miffed she might have broken a rib (and Bhanrí's chair), she was pleased she didn't fall into the fire. She brought a hand up to her face and brushed a finger over her bottom lip. It had already started to swell, although the blood had stopped flowing freely. She remained on the floor for a moment, working the energy and strength to get up.

Hopefully the Colonel would agree that this would be the time to leave.

Olc or no Olc.

oOoOoOoOoOo

Jack and Bhean rounded the corner to Jack's room. He held his hand out behind him, indicating that Bhean should stop. His door was thrown open and the family insignia that was on the flag outside his room, lay in rags on the floor and if that wasn't enough, he could hear hushed talking in his room. He crept forward, his P90 pointed and ready. He turned the corner into his room, however, once he saw the scene for what it actually was, he lowered his weapon.

"Bhean, you can come in now."

Bhean rounded the corner and gasped in shock as she saw her queen and princess sitting on Jack's bed. Bhanrí was tending to a small cut on Banaphri's face, but that was not what made Bhean gasp. There was a large, raised, red handprint on Banaphri's face. Jack was sure if you looked hard enough, you would see whirls and loops identifying Prionn as the one who hit Banaphri.

Bhean shrugged off Jack's jacket and placed it around Banaphri's shoulders. "What happened?"

Jack looked at Bhanrí with a sympathetic look. "Hey." He beckoned her to him.

The Queen rose from her place on the bed and left the two younger females to talk. She walked over to Jack and lowered her head. "Jack-"

"You alright?" He placed a supportive hand on her shoulder.

"You thought you would find Carter here, no? I asked Banaphri to bring her to our quarters instead. Prionn had no idea. Someone told him, there was no way-"

"What happened?"

"Banaphri lied to Prionn to protect Carter. I begged her to remain hidden, that he would leave, but she couldn't watch him hurt her anymore. She fought with him and for that, she will be punished." said Bhanrí. She raised her hands to cover her face. "We tried to protect her-"

Jack shook his head. "We knew the risks, so did she. She knew what she was doing." He ran a hand over his face. "Where is Carter?"

"She was in our chambers. I would take you but I cannot-" Bhanrí stopped talking, visibly upset at what had happened. Her eyes shone with unshed tears as she took in the sight of her daughter and as she remembered Sam. She looked at Jack. "You must do something. No one can live like this. It is hell on Saorsa. The Olc leads a more free and prosperous life." As soon as the words left the Queen's lips, her eyes widened and she clasped her hands to her mouth, unable to believe that she had uttered such a thing.

Jack squeezed the Queen's shoulder and as he let go, Teal'c and Daniel rounded the corner.

"Woah.."

Jack looked at Teal'c and then back at Bhanrí. "If I get Teal'c to stay here. Will you show me?"

Bhanrí nodded and left the room, shaking off her own feelings to help Jack in the dire situation they had before them.

Jack stood next to Teal'c. "Anyone hostile comes in, shoot first, then radio me." With that, he left.

Teal'c bowed his head and moved to stand in front of the doo, while Daniel went to the bed to see to Banaphri and Bhean.

oOoOoOoOoOo

Sam still hadn't managed to get herself off of the floor. Her ribs were protesting every breath she drew in, however, she had managed to drag herself a little away from the fire. She reached up to get her radio from her vest and pulled it out. She rest for a few seconds, willing the nausea bubbling away to simmer and die down, before she raised her arm and pressed the button.

"Sir?"

She waited a few moments, the crackling static doing little to soothe her. "Sir?"

Another crackle and then a click. " _Carter?! We're on our way. Sit tight._ "

Relief spread through Sam, momentarily making her forget the pain she was in. "Sir-"

" _I know, Carter. We're nearly there._ "

"Yes, Sir."

Sam lowered the radio in her hand and let her head fall back and rest against the wall she was leaning on. She closed her eyes in an attempt to control her pain, and rest. She felt awful. She had disobeyed Jack's orders about not interfering, but there was no way she could sit back and watch Prionn hurt his sister anymore.

Perhaps now, they could go back to Earth. She heard steps in the distance, moving quickly down the corridor. She tensed, drawing her hand to the weapon concealed at her back. Sam hesitated momentarily before deciding that she would move the sig to her leg; if it was Jack, she wouldn't have to worry. If it was someone else, at least she'd be able to defend herself when the moment was right, surely they would believe that she was far too beat up to cause any more trouble?

She exhaled with relief as she decided to hope that Jack had finally made it to her. Her eyes cracked open as the steps grew closer and it wasn't until she could see their shadows dancing on the opposite wall that she fully sat up.

"I'm glad you're here, Sir."

Sam felt her stomach drop as she saw that it wasn't Jack that had come to her aid.

"It is about time you had some respect. It is a shame it is too late for you, Carter." Blár stepped forward. He was the only one Sam recognised, it was then she knew that the report she had hoped to write in twenty four hours time was not going to be as uneventful as she had hoped.

Blár produced a brown cloth, it looked stained and as he drew closer to Sam, she realised what it was. "Don't! The Colonel-"

"Cannot do a thing." said Blár arrogantly. He held the back of Sam's neck, his short, dirty nails digging into her skin. He pressed the rag to her mouth and watched as she fought the sleep threatening to take over. As an act of defiance, she threw him a glare before her bright, blue eyes became dull before her eyelids closed over, her last conscious thought was that of gladness for moving her weapon to a place she hoped they wouldn't check. Blár stepped back and ordered the men behind him to take her, eyeing her unconscious form with distaste.

oOoOoOoOoOo

Jack rounded the corner, his boots doing little to dull the noise of his hurried steps echoing within the stone walls. Behind him, Banaphri walked quietly and elegantly, though with the same sense of determination and haste as Jack. They reached the door and Jack threw back his hand to stop the Queen from entering.

"Hold on a second." Jack nudged the oak door open with his foot and stepped into the room, his gun raised and his finger on the trigger. He quickly swept the room and when he uttered a harsh curse, Bhanrí took that as her cue to enter the room. She gasped and brought her hands to her mouth, her bangles clinking together as she did. Her eyes took in the sight of her rocking chair turned over and various items broken in what she sensed was a violent struggle. Her eyes fell to the floor and her heart lurched in her chest as she saw the blood on the floor.

"Jack, I am so sorry."

Jack shook his head. "It's not your apology I want to hear. You didn't do this." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Bhanrí crouch down and stand back up again, in her hand, she held a rag. "What is that?"

Bhanrí tentatively sniffed it and immediately dropped it. "Laurel." she muttered, using the wall closest to her to steady herself.

Jack frowned. "What is that?"

"It is a medicine, it is used to put people into a deep sleep."

Jack gripped his gun tight and clenched his jaw. "Did Prionn do this?"

Bhanrí's expression saddened even further. "Jack. It is most likely that Prionn is behind this. However, going after him is not going to help Carter. There are many loyal to him and-"

"I don't care." Jack began to walk towards the door, ready to begin a quest to find Prionn, when Bhanrí blocked the way. "You need to move-"

"Do you think for one second I want to see my son on the throne? Do you think I want to see him rule this world the way his grandfather did?" There were tears in Bhanrí's eyes as she spoke. "For the first time in my life, I have seen hope. I have seen a future brighter than Saorsa's three suns. Carter is the ripple in our pond, Jack. Those ripples will grow in the younger generations and in time, we will be equal. Because of Carter. If you go after Prionn now, you will not help her, you will not help us and you will not help yourself. There is a way to do these things and there is a right time."

Jack lowered his weapon and stared at the determined woman in front of him. "You're right. But as soon as that time is here-"

"I will forgive you for ending my son's life." said Bhanrí softly, a single tear falling down her cheek.

Jack reached out to brush it away. "I'm sorry."

"You do not have a choice, Jack. It was written in the stars many moons ago."


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I apologise that it has taken me two weeks to update. I don't know if I've said this before but I have been blessed enough to have started a career in education. These past weeks have been very hectic – one night I didn't leave my school until half 9! But I wouldn't have it any other way.

Thank you for all of the reviews I have been getting and thank you for the favourites and alerts! I'm so glad you like what I have written – it's been in my works for well over a year.

There is violence in this chapter, so apologies if this isn't for you.

I hope you enjoy this next chapter and I greatly anticipate reading your reviews!

As always, mistakes are mine.

Oh, I forgot to mention in my last chap that I have a poll on the top of my bio page, have a look if you have a spare minute!

 _Recap: "If you go after Prionn now, you will not help her, you will not help us and you will not help yourself. There is a way to do these things and there is a right time."_

 _Jack lowered his weapon and stared at the determined woman in front of him. "You're right. But as soon as that time is here-"_

" _I will forgive you for ending my son's life." said Bhanrí softly, a single tear falling down her cheek._

 _Jack reached out to brush it away. "I'm sorry."_

" _You do not have a choice, Jack. It was written in the stars many moons ago."_

 **Chapter 6**

Daniel watched as Banaphri winced while Bhean tended to her cut lip. He removed his glasses and sighed. "I'm sorry this has happened to you."

Banaphri managed a small smile. "This is nothing compared to what he has done in the past. I almost prefer him striking my face."

Daniel frowned. "Why's that?"

Bhean wrapped an arm around the Princess as Banaphri looked down. "Prionn hates that Banaphri is older, for a start. He used to pull her hair, pinch her, kick her even when they were children. When they got older, he got worse."

"He's done terrible things, Daniel." said Banaphri. "But I fear his worst is yet to come."

Daniel was about to reply when a horn sounded throughout the hill. Teal'c raised his staff weapon but the girls stood. They reached for their cloaks when Jack and Bhanrí entered the room.

"Jack?" questioned Daniel as he noticed Sam wasn't with them.

"Prionn got her." he said gruffly. "What was that noise?"

"It is the Celebration Horn." Bhanrí informed them. "We must all gather in the square. If we do not, we will be beaten. We must go now."

They quietly ambled through the castle, the lack of guards and people disturbed SG1, but as Bhanrí said, the entire population had gathered to the town square, ready for whatever celebration they waited a moon for.

As they made their way through the gates and down the hill towards where they needed to be, Jack pulled Daniel to one side. "I hope you still have questions that need to be answered Daniel, I got a feeling this isn't the shindig of the year."

"We need to observe this, Jack. It could have clues to lead us to Sam."

"You think I don't know that?"

"I know that you want Prionn's head on a spike, but we can't do that, Jack. If we want Sam back in one piece, we've got to do the right thing."

The noise of the crowd grew louder as they walked closer to the square. They could see soldiers forming a perimeter around the platform that Prionn had stood on earlier and all of the women were standing in lines at the front. Jack's keen gaze scanned the crowd but he still couldn't see Sam. He quickly found Bhanrí's eyeline and she shook her head, confirming what he had thought about Sam's whereabouts.

A hush fell over the people as Prionn took centre stage on the platform. King Rìgh stood back, watching his son with quiet distaste. It was only a few years ago Prionn had taken over this duty, but as the moons passed, he grew more harsh and sadistic with it.

"A full moon to you, my fellow Saorsans!" greeted Prionn, as he felt his subjects' eyes on him.

"And to you!" came the calls and cries from the crowd in front.

"It is my favourite time of the month, my favourite celebration of all celebrations. Tonight is the night we select a baga to be taken by the Olc!"

Jack watched as the men jeered and cheered, while the women remained composed and silent.

"I guess we now know how they're chosen." said Daniel.

"Daniel Jackson, it is not the first time I have heard the word 'baga'." observed Teal'c.

For a second, Daniel looked uncomfortable. "It loosely translates to 'bitch'."

"For many a moon, our kingdom has been kept safe by the sacrifice of women to the Olc. Some of the men I know, are saddened by the woman's departure, but we always get over it. There are plenty to go around!"

Another cheer sounded from the men and soldiers in the crowd. Jack bit the inside of his cheek, quelling the urge to march onto the stage and kick seven shades out of the tyrant prince.

"Usually, we present four bagas to you. Each has been accused of not following our customs and we decided who we let live and who spends the rest of her days burning in the Olc's fire pits."

Not for the first time on this mission, Jack's stomach dropped. He cast a quick glance at his team and saw the same look of aversion on their faces. That would explain the fearful look on the female natives' faces.

"But tonight, my fellow Saorsans, I have something different in mind for you. Some women in our midst have ideas that they are equal to us men, what do we say to that?"

The air was full of insults, boos and hisses, making Prionn smirk at his sister. Banaphri retained her grace and ignored her brother.

"No woman will rule here, no woman will be a soldier here, no woman will EVER lose her chains! I want to make this clear to you all now. When I am King, such ideas will be punishable by death." Prionn waited as the people in front of him cheered, the women stayed silent. "For now, however, we will have to settle for something else..."

SG1, Bhanrí, Banaphri and Bhean watched with horror as Blár all but dragged Sam by her hair onto the platform. Jack made a move to get to the platform but his moves were already anticipated as the soldiers advanced on the team before Sam had even been seen. By the time Jack started moving, the men of SG1 were disarmed and put into headlocks.

Prionn watched with glee as his soldiers overpowered SG1.

"Prionn."

He turned to see his father watching him with disdain. "Yes, Father?"

"Enough. Carter is not of this world-"

"And that is how you are outdated, old man. We cannot have golden haired witches coming to us from foreign lands and changing the way we live. If you cannot accept this, I will have the crown from your head as it falls from your shoulders."

Rìgh stepped back and looked regretfully towards Bhanrí.

Jack watched the exchange and he stopped struggling against the men holding him to get a look of Sam. She had a split lip and she was favouring her side, in that moment, he felt his blood boil. He began struggling again, almost breaking free from the soldiers, but there was always another to bring him down.

"Really Jack, do settle down or I will have Carter's head on a spike."

Jack stopped struggling and glared at Prionn.

"Let her go! We'll leave and take her with us!" reasoned Daniel.

Prionn waved his hand and Daniel grunted as he was punched in the gut. "You see, you had a chance Jack. You had a chance before all three suns had set. You should have punished her and because you didn't there are stupid bagas with an idea of equality in their heads that will get them killed."

Jack watched as he advanced on Sam. She was still out of it from the laurel that she didn't have time to brace herself against his fist connecting with the side of her face. She fell, unable to keep herself up. Jack watched on, helpless and in a rage. The crowd cheered as Sam fell to her side, her stubborn lips refused to let a whimper pass as she jarred her ribs.

"I am glad this has happened. I am glad that you, Jack, were selfish enough to let this happen." said Prionn as he waved his hand, indicating to Blár to help Sam upright. "It gives me a chance to make an example, to show you that what I'm about to do is what you whores can expect before you beg me for your death."

Prionn pulled his whip from his belt and instructed for Sam to be tied to one of the wooden poles on the platform. Without any grace or care, Blár tore Sam's clothing from the top half of her body with a long knife, exposing her pale skin to the moonlight. For a second Sam took Jack's breath away, she seemed to shine in the lunar's glow, that was until a crack and her cry ruptured the air like a clap of thunder.

"Stop!" roared Jack. He began to struggle again. "I didn't punish her, so you should punish me!"

Prionn laughed, prompting the men around SG1 to do the same. "Why would I do that? She is the insubordinate here, not you. And you will stand and watch until this platform is drenched with her blood. After that, you will be escorted to your chambers and taken to the stone ring when the suns have risen."

"No!"

Prionn raised his whip and brought it down on Sam again. She jerked against the pole and squeezed her eyes shut, refusing to let Prionn see her tears. He rained more blows onto her, feeding off of the crowd's and SG1's reactions until he dropped his whip. He staggered back, exhausted from his effort, to take a look at what he had done. He stood up straight, righted his clothes and turned to face the crowd. He brushed a fleck of blood off of his cheek and bowed lowly to Jack. "Perhaps in future, you will see to your punishments yourself."

Jack, at this point, was on his knees. The soldiers had forced him down after Sam had started to cry out for him or anyone to help her. He watched her hang by her wrists, lifeless and unresponsive. The things he would do to that man when the time came...

Prionn followed his line of sight and smiled pitifully at Jack. "Of course, Carter is the Olc's problem now. Say your goodbyes, travellers, this is the last time you will see her." Prionn got off of the stage and, with a group of soldiers, began the walk back up to the castle. The men of the crowd cheered as he left and they went about their own business, ordering the women to clean up the mess they had left. The soldiers that had detained relinquished their hold on them.

"You may say your goodbyes now, but hurry. If you attempt to help her, we will be forced to act." warned the lead soldier, allowing Jack off of the floor.

As soon as Jack was able, he ran to the platform, ignoring the cricks in his knees. He stood on the platform and had to turn away to compose himself as Prionn's threat rang very true. Even in the moonlight, he could see crimson staining the wooden platform. He walked cautiously over to Sam and knelt, mindful of the powering up sounds of the soldier's weapons.

"Carter?" When she didn't respond, Jack tried again. "Sam?"

Sam's head lolled back and she found Jack's face to focus her groggy gaze on. "Sir?"

"Listen-"

"I heard, Jack." said Sam, cutting across her CO's words. "They're sending me away. And there is not a thing you can do about it."

"Carter, I swear. If I have to blow this planet up to stop the Olc from taking you, I will."

Sam shook her head, hoping Jack would forgive the moans of discomfort as she did so. "Not a good idea. You can't fight a civil war without people to help you."

Jack frowned. "Carter?"

Sam sniffed. "There's nothing that can be done about me, right now. But if there is a time to form a rebellion to change life for this world, that time is now." Sensing that Jack was about to interrupt, she continued. "I will find a way back, even if I have to gate to the Alpha site, I will. Don't worry about me."

"Carter, I'm not leaving you behind. It's just not going to happen."

Sam turned her head to look at Jack dead in the eye. "Sir, we don't have a choice this time. We have no options."

Jack deflated as he saw the soldiers coming towards him. "Sam, I'm sorry."

Sam shook her head, trying to hide the tears forming in her eyes. "It's not your apology I'm looking for."

"We must escort you back to your room."

"In a minute!" growled Jack. He looked back at Sam. "Carter..."

"I know." she whispered. She gave him a short, watery smile as he reached out to caress her face.

"We'll find you." he said as a soldier placed a heavy hand on his shoulder.

"Not if I find you first, Sir."

Jack growled as the soldier dragged him away from Sam. He felt pressure on both of his shoulders as the soldiers lead them towards the castle. The silence that fell over the party was deafening. All three male members of SG1 were planning, plotting and scheming in their heads.

As they walked through the castle, they noted that Prionn's door had soldiers on duty outside. Jack cursed the Prince of Saorsa as they walked past. They finally reached their corridor, when Jack spoke. "No need to walk us any further, we can handle it from here."

The soldiers let them go, though the lead soldier told them that they will hold their weapons until morning. They turned and left, leaving Jack, Daniel and Teal'c standing outside Jack's door.

"Jack?" prompted Daniel softly. He might have worn glasses, but he wasn't blind. He could see the pain in both Jack and Sam over what happened and he knew that pain himself, all too well.

"O'Neill?" Teal'c regarded the Colonel with a thoughtful expression.

"Here's what we're gonna do." said Jack, "You are going to get back to that library and find out what you can about that Olc. I'm gonna find good ol' King Rìgh and see if we can't get this rebellion started."

Daniel and Teal'c exchanged looks. "Uh, Jack-"

"Can it Daniel. I'm not letting that sorry son-of-a-bitch sacrifice Carter without a fight. There is no way we are gating from this world Carter-less. Not a chance!"

At that, he turned on his heel and disappeared around the corridor corner before Daniel had even summoned the thought to stop him.

"But-"

"Leave him be, Daniel Jackson. We must find out more about this Olc if we are to help Major Carter."


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I am truly touched by the response I have recieved for this story! I get so excited when I see review/favourite/follow alerts in my inbox.

Thank you everyone!

I think I've mentioned it before but I have a poll on my profile.. I have an NCIS fic in the works at the moment but am happy to take prompts to write other things – please feel free to spam me with ideas!

As always, mistakes are mine.

Please enjoy!

Recap: _"Can it Daniel. I'm not letting that sorry son-of-a-bitch sacrifice Carter without a fight. There is no way we are gating from this world Carter-less. Not a chance!"_

 _At that, he turned on his heel and disappeared around the corridor corner before Daniel had even summoned the thought to stop him._

" _But-"_

" _Leave him be, Daniel Jackson. We must find out more about this Olc if we are to help Major Carter."_

 **Chapter 7**

If Glic looked surprised to see Teal'c and Daniel back in the library, he didn't show it. He looked up from a scroll he was writing to see them walking in, boldly and with purpose. "Ah, the travellers, how can I be of assistance this time?"

"We're looking for information about the Olc. Do you have any?"

Glic rolled his eyes to the heavens. " _Do I have any?_ My dear boy, what kind of scholar would I be if I didn't? One moment..." He left his unfinished scroll unattended and disappeared from view. Teal'c and Daniel exchanged wary looks as they heard banging and things falling on the floor. Finally, Glic reappeared holding two scrolls.

"Unfortunately, I do not have a lot, but I hope it will be enough for you." He deposited them gently on the table in front of Daniel.

Daniel muttered thanks and got straight to work, while Teal'c looked at him, a single eyebrow raised. "I am suspicious of your motives."

Glic stopped what he was doing and regarded Teal'c with a sad look, making Daniel stop his research. "I thought you might be. It is true I have a side to support, but I can assure you, it is not Prionn's."

Daniel took his glasses off as he looked at Glic. "Why not?"

"My dear boy, did you know that I wrote every single scroll in this library?"

Daniel and Teal'c exchanged confused looks. "What?"

"That would make you at least a thousand years old?!"

"One thousand, four hundred and twenty two, to be exact." said Glic, smiling at Daniel's perplexed look.

"Wait. What?"

oOoOoOoOoOo

Jack knocked on the door that he assumed would lead him to the King. After waiting for a moment, he opened the door and stepped in. He stopped in his tracks when he saw the King sat miserably at his desk.

"Um-"

"Your presence is welcome, Jack. Close the door." instructed Rìgh. Jack did as he was instructed and he deposited himself into a worn, red leather chair close to the fire crackling in Rìgh's room.

"Jack, I do not have words to express my condolences for Carter. Nor do I have words to excuse my son's brutality."

"Where we come from, the King is usually the one who makes the rules, not the Prince." remarked Jack, feeling animosity towards the regal man sitting on the other side of the room.

Rìgh sighed. "I do not wish to start a war, least of all with my only son."

Jack took his cap off. "Look, half of your people are afraid of Prionn, especially after that... display. There are people loyal to you, we can help you."

"Prionn's followers consist of soldiers and-"

"Not all of them. Not all of them follow him, and as for the other men? It's only so they feel like they have control over something. That can all change with education. Think about it, would your people be here without women? They mother, feed and bring up your children-"

Rìgh stood up from his chair abruptly, making Jack jump. "Do you think I am ignorant to this? I cherish my wife and daughter more than life itself. I do not want them to live like this, but there are many men who will not change. I have acted in a way that is considered weak to my people. I am seen as the weak King, the soft King, they look to Prionn because he is the same as his grandfather and all of his fathers before him. I am different because I choose to be, I refuse to believe that this is the only way to live, but the people below this castle see only Prionn and his ideas. Nobody listens to an old man."

"Ain't that the truth." agreed Jack. "Why do they listen to him?"

"I believe it is because he ventures to the ruins. No-one else dares to. It is close to where the Olc waits for the full moon."

Jack rubbed his eyes with his free hand, "Wait a minute." He sat up. "You're telling me that he has more control than you because he's been to the ruins? He could have made that all up, everything he says could be lies!"

Rìgh regarded Jack warily, he suddenly looked a lot more tired. "It had crossed my mind."

Jack stood. "We need to see those ruins."

Rìgh shook his head. "The Olc will be upon our home soon. It is madness!"

"What's madness is you sitting here while your tyrant of son is taking over your kingdom right under your nose! Carter was beaten half to death and you did nothing! And let me tell you now, that does NOT put a guy on my Christmas card list!"

"I am aware of what Carter means to you and your people, Jack." said Rìgh, his momentary confusion over Jack's comments disappearing. "She saved my daughter from Prionn today, my wife told me everything. I cannot risk everything descending into more chaos than what it is and I will not risk Prionn having an early reign because the Olc has decided to slaughter me where I stand. I am sorry. I am the last defence against Prionn having the crown. I cannot risk it."

Jack kicked the leather chair over. "Some last defence..."

He stormed off out of the room, letting the door slam shut behind him. He scrunched his hat up in his hands and growled before punching the wall in frustration. He took a step back, allowing the shooting pains to run through his hand – it was probably nothing in comparison to what Sam was feeling right now. Jack felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up as he felt someone watching him. He turned grabbed whoever was hiding behind the corner.

To his utter shock, he currently had Banaphri by her throat against the wall. "Woah, sorry!" He immediately let her go and watched her brush it off with a small smile. "You snuck up on me."

Banaphri bowed her head. "It was not my intention, Jack." Her long auburn locks covered her face before she righted herself. "I wish to speak with you privately." She reached out to grab Jack's hand and led him along the corridor.

oOoOoOoOoOo

"How are you still alive?!" asked Daniel. "I've not seen any Saorsan much older than Jack."

Glic bowed his head as he rolled the scrolls up to sit neatly on the table. He bustled about to light more candles to give them more light. "It is not a gift, Daniel, but a curse."

"Tell us, share your knowledge." encouraged Daniel. "It may help us help Sam."

Glic nodded before seating himself on his stool. "It was one thousand, four hundred and twenty two years ago that the way we live now, began. You must understand, life was so different before then. Women and men were equals, daughters could inherit their father's wealth, daughters could learn to read and write, we had a beautiful Queen to reign at the time. Her name was Thogail, Queen Thogail."

"What happened to her?"

"She was taken by men whose eyes glowed. They took many men and children, but especially the women. We were devastated, we didn't know what to do. The Queen was gone, the King was killed as he tried to stop them. So, Queen Thogail's son, Prince Riag, he imposed a new law. A man was more valuable than a woman. Women were no longer educated or able to inherit wealth or land. They were sub-par. But that did not stop the men with glowing eyes from coming."

"Why did they stop?" asked Daniel.

"Perhaps another race intervened, like the Asgard." suggested Teal'c.

"We prayed to our Gods and one day, when the stone ring was glowing, they came through. We used to have to wait for them, to let them choose who they would take, but as they stepped through. The sky turned dark. The river rose and out of the river came a woman. She used the river to wash the men away and she told them never to return. Since then, they have not."

Teal'c and Daniel stared at Glic. "A woman came out of the river?"

"Yes," said Glic enthusiastically. "She said her name was Danu, that she was the Protector of our people. She walked among us for a moon or so, before her energy went into the sky – that is how we got our third sun. Danu is the first to rise and the last to set every day. She protects us."

"Does anyone else know this?" asked Daniel.

Glic shook his head. "I wrote it on a scroll, but our people put machinery and warfare before the gift of script. This story has been lost for generations."

"This does not explain your unusually long life, or the Olc's being." said Teal'c.

"It was said that Danu left because she was unhappy. She did not like how the women were treated. Despite the men with glowing eyes not coming any more, Riag did not remove the law. Women were still seen as inferior and were treated incredibly harshly, much like they are now. Danu tried to reason with Riag, but he would not listen. Danu could not impose her power on her people, so she left. Once she became the third sun, the Olc was around, taking women during the night of the full moon. Riag was convinced it was Danu's revenge on him, that she had set a curse on our people until we were no more. So, Riag decreed that a sacrifice be made for every full moon, whether they be man, woman or child."

"The Olc is a curse?"

"Or perhaps it is Danu herself."

"No, Danu is in the sky, she's our brightest burning sun." corrected Glic, "The Olc is something entirely different. Riag soon noticed that the Olc would only take women of age. The Olc would not take a child or a man. Riag took this as a sign that this is how we should be. He told the people and his children that in order to keep our people safe, we had to sacrifice a woman under the glow of the full moon."

Daniel grabbed the table beside him. His mind was spinning. He was on the right lines when he had suggested the reasoning for the way the society was. He didn't realise a tyrannical boy had taken it one step too far and made it law. "It explains so much."

Glic nodded. "What I know about the Olc will not tell you who or what it is. All I know is that when crossed, the Olc is deadly. I do not know what will become of your friend, Carter when the Olc arrives. Nobody knows."

Glic stood and made his way over to the dying fire in his library, he stoked the embers to produce more heat and light before adding logs to feed the fire. Daniel stared after him. So many questions had been answered, but now he felt he had even more. Who was the Olc? Why did they take women? Where did the women disappear to? And what were they going to do about Sam?

"Another question remains." said Teal'c, watching Glic walk back over to them.

"Ah, yes, my age." Glic settled in his seat. "I have been cursed to live forever, watching the suffering I see daily, because I did not act as I should have done all those years ago."

"What happened?"

"A rebellion. It did not end in our favour. I did not help as I should have done. So Danu cursed me. I will not die, until the balance is restored among our people." Glic sat up and set a steely gaze onto Teal'c and Daniel. "I have lived a long life, friends. It is only tonight that I feel that there is hope for the balance. You have my help, for as long as you need it. For now, however, I insist that you get back to the castle. Once the moon is at its highest peak, the gates will remain closed until dawn."

oOoOoOoOoOo

As soon as Banaphri had closed the door behind her, Jack realised that they weren't alone in the room. Bhean and Bhanrí sat on his bed, seemingly waiting for him.

"Uh-"

"Jack, please listen." requested Bhanrí, holding her hand up to stop him from speaking. "We do not have much time."

Once Jack sat on his bed, between the two women, he gestured for her to speak. "Shoot."

"I know you have spoken to Rìgh." began Bhanrí, "He was concerned about starting a war – which as a king, is a fair reason to not act. However, I am not a king and I think now is the time to act."

Jack looked at Bhanrí. "You sure?"

Banaphri stepped forward. "We must, Prionn is no king. He must be stopped."

Jack smiled. "I assume Rìgh knows you're starting a war behind his back?"

Bhanrí smirked. "There is no harm in being prepared. He understands."

Jack felt a new surge of fire power through him. If they had just enough people, they could do this. He could almost hear Sam in his head urging the women on. Hmm, Sam, it seemed he couldn't visit a new world without his 2iC giving the locals revolutionary ideas.

"Jack," called Bhanrí softly, "If we are to do this, we will need your guidance."

"You got it." said Jack, standing up. "Right, Banaphri, how often do you talk to the men that work inside the castle?"

Banaphri glanced at her mother. "I speak to them as we pass one another, most bow to me, but not my brother."

"Think you can count on them for support?"

"I believe I can, yes."

"Great, Bhanrí, keep your the king in the loop, if there's anyone you can see out of the castle that can help, get them on board."

"I will do what I can." said Bhanrí, before a frown settled on her graceful features. "They are farmers and bakers, Jack. They will not be enough to combat the soldiers on Prionn's side."

Jack nodded. "We'll have soldiers too. And we can give your guys weapons to fight too. No pitchforks or rolling pins, okay?"

"Jack, is there something I can do?"

Jack looked at Bhean and he smiled. "You know what, there is, but it's risky."


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Hi everyone, here's the latest instalment! Thank you so much for the reviews you have given me – I enjoy reading them!

Also, today is my 9th birthday! Well, it's been 9 years since I've been a member of FFN! So, I'm celebrating my birthday with you! Have a great day! :D

Oh, I know I've mentioned this before, but I have a poll on my profile, I'm closing it on Sunday, so if you haven't voted all ready, please do!

As always, mistakes are mine!

Recap: _Jack nodded. "We'll have soldiers too. And we can give your guys weapons to fight too. No pitchforks or rolling pins, okay?"_

" _Jack, is there something I can do?"_

 _Jack looked at Bhean and he smiled. "You know what, there is, but it's risky."_

 **Chapter 8**

Teal'c brushed past the guard standing at the gate, his build and stoic face intimidating him to submission before he could challenge him. Daniel followed him, muttering a brief apology to the flustered guard.

"Teal'c, wait."

"We must get this information to O'Neill."

"Yeah, before he makes a rash decision. Totally Jack I know, but we've got to keep up appearances here. If the soldiers see us rushing around, what will they think?" They made it through the castle doors and Teal'c showed no sign of slowing. "Dammit, Teal'c, just hold on a second!"

Teal'c stopped and turned to look at Daniel. "Daniel Jackson-"

"Look, I want to help Sam too, okay? I wish it was me up there instead of her, we all do. But we won't be able to help her if we're locked in a dungeon somewhere. Okay? Jack is rash and can be totally unpredictable, but that works for him and the reason that works is because we are the level headed brains keeping him safe when he charges in head first."

"I agree, Daniel Jackson, but I would see Samantha back with us before the Olc takes her from our reach."

Daniel sighed. "I know."

oOoOoOoOoOo

Jack watched as Bhean passed the length of the floor in his room. He could see a range of emotions flickering through her eyes. He could see the fear – of going against Prionn and possibly seeing the Olc in the flesh and he could see the determination of how she could be a part of a new order that was just on the horizon.

"Bhean."

"You cannot possibly ask her to do such a task!" frowned Banaphri, wringing her hands in worry. "The moon is full in the night sky, it is the night of the Olc, Jack! She could be hurt!"

Bhean, for the first time, stopped pacing. "It would be a small price to pay for you taking your rightful place on your father's throne, Banaphri." said Bhean, in a small but determined voice.

Banaphri stood up. "No. There does not need to be more bloodshed than there already has been or will be."

Jack rubbed his eyes. "Look, Prionn has given us a huge advantage without knowing it. He takes Bhean to the temple all the time – that will be what knocks him on his ass. We have the will and the tools to do this, we just need the action."

Banaphri shook her head before turning to her mother. "Tell them it is madness!"

"It would seem we all have a part to play in this new change. We must all do what we need to." said Bhanrí softly, she looked at Bhean. "We will worry for you, but you must do what you need to."

Bhean smiled at the Queen and bowed before turning to look at Banaphri. "I will have Jack with me, it is perfectly safe."

Banaphri stared at Bhean for what seemed like the longest time, before she forgot her grace and enveloped her best friend in a hug. Bhean returned it and smiled.

As Jack was about to clear his throat and break the girls up so they could get on with preparing for their night journey to the temple, Daniel and Teal'c came through the large wooden door – discovery evident on their faces.

"Jack, wait-"

"O'Neill, we must talk."

Jack raised an eyebrow at the two as they closed the door behind them. Teal'c made a show of checking the windows, before moving to stand in front of the door.

"Well?"

Daniel cleared his throat. "We went back to the library to talk to Glic. Jack, he's one thousand, four hundred and twenty two years old."

Jack frowned. "What?"

Bhanrí shook her head. "That is simply not possible, Daniel."

Daniel pushed his glasses up from the end of his nose. "It is, he was there when there was a queen of Saorsa."

The three women froze as they stared at Daniel. "There cannot have been a queen, there has always been a king of Saorsa."

"No," Daniel shook his head, looking at Teal'c to back him up. "That's what you were taught and that's what you know because that's how the previous kings wanted it."

"Indeed," Tealc bowed his head. "There are scrolls telling of the times when there was a queen of your land. Queen Thogail was the last queen to have reigned here."

The two younger women looked at the current queen, now seeing a lifetime of respect, duties and opportunities stolen from the monarch in front of them. "Mother?"

"What happened to her? Why did it change?"

"The Goa'uld."

While the women gave Daniel a confused look, Jack groaned and closed his eyes. "Man, I hate those guys... So, Carter was right, they treat the women the way they do to protect them?"

"Sort of."

"What do you mean sort of?" asked Jack, narrowing his eyes.

"The women of Saorsa were the same as men, they could read, write, they could own property, they were completely equal. The Goa'uld came and took people as slaves and they took Thogail. The King was killed trying to save her, leaving the son, Ríag to rule Saorsa. He imposed a law that made women unequal – to try and save the economy – but it didn't stop the Goa'uld."

"Of course it didn't," sighed Jack. "How did the Saorsans get rid of the Goa'uld then?"

"They didn't – another race did. We don't know who; could be Asgard, could be Ancients. A member of the race called Danu came to stop the Goa'uld and once they were gone, she fell out with Ríag, who refused to put the laws back to the way they were. There was a rebellion and it failed, Danu left and then the Olc came into being."

"I have not heard this story, Daniel."

"Women aren't allowed in the library and it's frowned upon for women to read." said Teal'c.

"So what do we do now? We know that Prionn is lying, we have an actual account of someone who was there-"

"We're going to the ruins." said Jack, putting his cap on. "Bhean's going to show us the way."

Daniel and Teal'c exchanged dark looks. "Jack-"

"Ah!" Jack silenced Daniel, raising his two forefingers in the air. "We're going to the ruins, you can confirm if the crap Prionn's been sprouting is true or not _and_ we can film what we find and show the rest of the town, that'll get them on side."

"And what about Sam?"

Jack stiffened, he glared at Daniel. "Sam is going to do her best to get to the Alpha site. That is, if we don't take the Olc out first."

Daniel and Teal'c remained silent as they exchanged another look between them. The team knew that when it came to a member of SG1 in peril, they would do whatever it took to remove them from harm; Teal'c and Daniel also knew, as much as Jack and Sam tried to deny it, that they would move mountains for one another and it would seem that this scenario was no different. The question was; how much bloodshed was Jack prepared to allow to get Sam back?

oOoOoOoOo

As the moon seemed to glow brighter in the clear night sky, Sam shivered. A gentle breeze waved around her, caressing her golden hair. Normally, Sam wouldn't shiver at such a small gust, but then again, it wasn't every day that her upper body was bare to the elements.

She shifted slightly to try and relieve some of the pain in her wrists from being tied to one of the poles on the platform. She could feel the ropes that bind her to the structure were damp, she assumed it was with her blood from the chaffing on her wrists. As she shifted, she could feel the already healing wounds on her back crack, the blood had hardened as it was exposed to the elements. Sam winced and did her best not to whimper, she didn't want to display anymore of her emotions than she already had.

She had felt embarrassed and humiliated as Prionn removed her BDUs from the top half of her body, those feelings soon went away when he began to deliver on his promise. For her team's sake, she did her best to keep her cries to herself – and to not give Prionn the satisfaction for his actions. The enraged prince seemed to sense that too, because at that point, he increased the power behind his lashings tenfold. She heard Jack, amidst her cries, trying to get to the platform to stop it. She could hear her team struggling – but it was useless.

Sam's strategising wasn't as sharp as Jack's, but she knew when to pick her battles. She'd let Prionn have this one, for now. Once she was in a better position, she'd find a way to overthrow his pending rule. She would come back stronger and more focused than before. Prionn would not win this war, she vowed.

Her mind travelled to her teammates; her boys. She had told Jack that she would do all she could to get back to him. Even in her groggy state, she could see the pain Jack's eyes when he realised that there was nothing he could do to help her. The realisation that he was powerless in such a hostile situation was an image that would be burned in her mind forever. She could feel his rage, his willfullness and his helplessness as he stood next to her, brushing her hair from her eyes. She could also see the care and warmth in his eyes as he cupped her face so gently, as if he was afraid she'd break. She prayed that he didn't blame himself; that he didn't let guilt drive him, but she knew it was in vain. She knew Jack well enough to know that he would hold himself responsible for everything that had happened.

She hoped that Teal'c and Daniel would keep Jack from doing something reckless. He was impulsive, at best. Sam knew Jack would do his best for the people of Saorsa and she knew that Daniel and Teal'c would have his back.

Sam rubbed her face on her bare shoulder, wiping a tear that had trickled slowly down her face. They only came to see some ruins and do some geographical surveys. This mission should have been a walk in the park. She sniffed and rest her head against the pole. Still, these things happen and Sam found herself glad that it was her tied up and not any of her guys. If anything, this was a great opportunity, she reasoned to herself. She could finally see the Olc and find out what happened to all of the women that had been disappearing for generations – perhaps she could reason with the Olc. Sam nodded to herself, that would keep her occupied while she figured out how to escape.

The astrophysicist stilled as she felt the air change around her. The breeze that had run through her hair was now gone. The air was still and there was no sound to be heard. She stretched her neck as much as she could from her position and could see that lights in the different building were being extinguished, like candles on a birthday cake. The only light source was the moon above her and the only sounds she could hear was her breathing and the beat of her own heart against her ribcage.

Sam willed her breathing and her heart to quieten. She closed her eyes and strained her ears to pick up any sound not being produced by her own body. Nothing. Not an owl hooting, not a cricket chirping, not even the breeze ruffling the grass or the trees nearby.

Sam began to strategise in her head. If nothing, at least she would be able to hear the Olc as it approached her.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: And here is the next instalment in this little saga. I hope you enjoy it and I would love to hear about what you think!

As always, mistakes are mine!

Recap: _Sam willed her breathing and her heart to quieten. She closed her eyes and strained her ears to pick up any sound not being produced by her own body. Nothing. Not an owl hooting, not a cricket chirping, not even the breeze ruffling the grass or the trees nearby._

 _Sam began to strategise in her head. If nothing, at least she would be able to hear the Olc as it approached her._

 **Chapter 9**

For the first time since the start of their mission, Jack felt exhilarated. He had a plan and there was a quiet rebellion stirring into life. He wasn't overly thrilled that it was SG1's presence on the planet that was the last straw that broke the proverbial camel's back, but there was no smoke without fire. The rebellion had been a long time coming and Jack was honoured to fight alongside those that had been oppressed for as long as they could remember. Once Daniel and Teal'c shared their new information, Jack began to strategise.

Bhanrí would use her contacts outside the castle to spread the word – there were a few men she could trust and many that were on her side. She would also keep the King in the loop, though Jack prayed that Rìgh was on their side, he hoped the old man would not betray their cause in an effort to stop a war that was well on its way.

Banaphri would gather as much support from the castle as she could. She believed that most of the men that patrolled the long, stony corridors would fight on her side. Even if all of Prionn's followers were mostly soldiers.

Bhean would accompany SG1 to the ruins. Jack really felt a surge of pride for Bhean when she agreed to play such an important part in the revolution that was on its way. He could see the fear in her eyes when he first suggested she leave the safety of the castle to trek in the dark hues of the night to find ruins that may or may not provide answers. Along with the fear, he could see the determination. He could see the desire in her to rid herself of the bronze bracelets and the tatty clothes that showcased her life of servitude. Jack could see Bhean being one of Banaphri's advisors when she ascended to the throne. The girl had loyalty and courage, something he could respect.

While it was all good strategising, Jack came to the startling conclusion that if he left now, he would be leaving the castle unarmed. The way the Olc was described, he did not feel comfortable wandering around the alien planet, in the dark, without his gun – or a way to contact the people most heavily involved in his plan.

So, that was the first mission; get their equipment.

On his way back to the castle from the Library, Teal'c noted a wooden shack that was guarded in the castle grounds. He surmised that their weapons were in there, along with their packs and their radios.

Leaving the royal females to their tasks, the men of SG1 and Bhean cautiously made their way to the castle doors. They followed the long winding corridors, lit by flickering flames dancing in the light breeze that swept through the castle. When they encountered guards, Bhean showed them several places to duck into to avoid being seen. It sickened Jack to think that Bhean, and potentially other women, knew where the best shadows to hide in were.

They stopped at the entrance hall, where SG1 had first seen sight of King Rìgh – only a few short hours ago.

Bhean slowly stuck her head around the corner, her cheekbones resting on the cool bricks of the walls. She pulled her head back quickly and looked at Jack, worry in her eyes. "There are two guards at the door – they are Prionn's men, I recognise them."

Daniel pushed his round glasses up his nose before looking at Jack. "What should we do?" he whispered.

Jack frowned. "Is this the only way out?"

"It is the most direct route. Time is not on our side."

"I agree." said Teal'c impassively. "We must be swift in our leave of the castle."

Jack nodded. "Right... I'm thinking we kick their asses, knock them out and put them in a closet of some kind."

"Jack-"

"I believe that to be unwise, O'Neill." voiced Teal'c. "The rebellion will be stopped before it begins if the enemy is made aware of our intentions."

Jack huffed in frustration. "Well, I'm not hearing any other suggestions."

"I might have one." said Bhean in a small voice, making the three men look at her. From the look on her face, they tacitly agreed that they would not like the sound of her plan.

oOoOoOoOo

Banaphri swept through the castle, gracefully and unheard, just like her mother. She stopped in front of an old door, the brass on the door handle tarnished and scratched, showing its age. The princess slowly opened the door and as she did, she heard the scuffle of boots and the screeching of chairs as they were hastily pushed backwards. Once inside, the smell of bread and soups assaulted her senses and the low hubbub that she temporarily disturbed returned.

"Princess Banaphri." greeted one of the men, bowing. The rest of the men followed suit and Banaphri returned a curtsy. Once the men finished bowing, they sat down and returned to their meal.

Banaphri warily eyed the weapons leaning against walls, tables and chairs, before seating herself next to the soldier at the head of the table.

"Would you care to share my meal, Princess?"

"No thank you Ceann, though I am grateful for your offer." Banaphri offered the soldier a small smile, which he returned with a bow of his head.

"Might I ask why you have ventured down to the kitchens at this hour? It is most unlike you to do so under the light of a full moon." commented Ceann, watching the princess through a thoughtful gaze. The soldier was just a few moons older than Banaphri. When she was younger, she considered him her friend and he returned the sentiment. He was often there to comfort Banaphri when Prionn had let his ways get out of hand and that had not changed as they had grown.

"Ceann, I am here to ask something of you."

Ceann's blue eyes twinkled in the firelight as he pushed his bowl away from him. The other soldiers stopped what they were doing and watched the interaction before them with interest.

"If I can help you, you know I will." said Ceann carefully.

"Even if it meant fighting? In my name?"

If a woman, other than Banaphri, had asked such a question, she would have been met with laughter and teasing, which would have quickly escalated into something a little more violent. However, Banaphri trusted Ceann, and he her. That is how Banaphri knew she could turn to Ceann, there is not a chance that he would surround himself with men of Prionn's line of thought, not when he was so opposed to his ways.

Ceann's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

Banaphri looked at the men around her. "There is something I must tell you. I need you to listen before you make up your mind."

Ceann made a gesture with his hand and the men around them stopped what they were doing and listened intently.

"Please, my Princess, continue."

oOoOoOoOo

It wasn't often Teal'c was uncomfortable. However, when he got uncomfortable, it was really hard not to notice. He was currently stuck in a closet. There were buckets and a large array of cleaning utensils at his feet. The Jaffa warrior was also pretty sure he had trodden on a small mammal of some kind.

As predicted, neither member of SG1 liked Bhean's plan, but they knew that if they wanted to save Sam, they would have to grin and bear it. Teal'c set his jaw and flickered his eyebrow impatiently. It shouldn't be too long now.

Daniel radiated nervous energy and it was beginning to get on Jack's every last nerve. Okay, so neither of them liked Bhean's plan, but it was the best they could come up with in such a dire situation.

Bhean had briefly told them in a small voice that the superiority complex that the men liked to display wasn't just for show. There were several soldiers that liked to take advantage of their perceived power and Bhean was very quick to point out that the two soldiers at the door were well known for it. Teal'c and Jack got angry, very quickly – yes they wanted to save Sam, but not at the cost of violence towards one of their friends helping them. Daniel turned two shades whiter and began feeling queasy, unable to fathom such mindless violence.

Bhean placated the men of SG1 by relaying the rest of the plan that she had thought up and at hearing what is was they were going to be doing and just how safe Bhean would be, they agreed.

"Jack-"

"Daniel, I swear to God... just shut up and wait for the signal."

The two regarded each other with an icy glare before they put their game faces on. They strained their ears to listen as Bhean made a show of coming around the corner where they had previously hidden themselves.

They heard as the soldiers made some remarks that even turned Jack's stomach. Bhean murmured something – they couldn't hear it as her voice was so quiet – but they figured whatever she had said had done the trick as the men were pulling her towards the closet that Teal'c was currently hidden in.

Jack and Daniel got themselves ready to spring into action to help Teal'c and waited until the soliders had the door open.

Bhean ducked down and away from the men as one of them was greeted with a large fist to his nose. The soldier that was hit stumbled back, clutching his nose, blood seeping from between his fingers. Daniel took that as his cue and finished the attack on the already bloodied soldier.

Jack leapt out from around his corner and helped Teal'c bring the other soldier down, not that he needed have bothered. Teal'c managed to knock him out cold with a headbutt.

"Great teamwork there, T."

Teal'c merely raised an eyebrow and turned his head as a large thud echoed around them.

Daniel stepped away from the unconscious soldier, his glasses askew and panting heavily. "What now?" he wheezed.

"We must hide them." said Bhean, her voice shaking as she righted the shoulder of her tunic.

Teal'c and Jack moved quickly to drag the two bloody and unconscious soldiers into the closet that Teal'c had been hiding in before. After a few huffs and puffs, Teal'c and Jack used their full body weight against the door to close it. Once it clicked shut, they peeled themselves from the door, as if silently daring it to spring itself open. Satisfied with a job well done, Teal'c and Jack turned to see Daniel cupping Bhean's face in a comforting gesture.

Jack rolled his eyes. "Really, Daniel?" Daniel returned an eyeroll and dropped his hand.

"We need to move quickly, O'Neill." prompted the ever stoic Jaffa. The team moved to the front doors of the castle, Bhean constantly checking over her shoulder. They reached the large, wooden doors and Teal'c slowly pushed one of them open enough that they could squeeze through. Jack was thankful, the doors did not squeak as much as he thought they would and there didn't seem to be any soldiers on the other side.

Once they were outside the castle, Teal'c closed the door as silently as he had opened it. The sky was darker than the miles of space they had travelled, other than the moon, which was like a beacon of light. The flags sporadically placed around the turrets danced gracefully in the light breeze, yet, there was enough chill in the air for Jack to pull the zipper on his jacket up as far as it could go.

His thoughts travelled to Sam: she must have been freezing. An overwhelming urge to go straight to her reared its head, but a steadying hand on his shoulder brought him back to his current objective. He looked at Teal'c and he could see the warmth and understanding in his ebony eyes. Jack had never been so grateful for meeting the former First Prime of Apophis.

"I don't get it." said Daniel, surveying the courtyard in front of him. It was barren, like a desert wasteland. Not two hours ago, it had been bustling with soldiers, scholars, yard workers and stable boys, now there wasn't even the tiniest flicker of life.

"The Olc approaches." said Bhean. "Everyone is safe inside."

"We'll be safe outside, as soon as we get our weapons." stated Jack, pulling his cap from his back pocket and placing it upon his head.

The four descended the stone steps, quickly and quietly. With great stealth, they crossed the courtyard and happened upon the shed that Teal'c spotted earlier.

Jack unbolted the door and opened it. "Yes!" He stepped in, disappearing from view. The rest of them watched with interest as they heard Jack rooting around. Daniel bit back a yelp of surprise when his pack came flying towards him. He caught it clumsily, before he placed it on the floor, squatting down to make sure he had all he needed for the journey ahead.

Jack passed Teal'c his spear weapon and the Jaffa bowed his head in thanks. He lifted it closer to his face, almost as if he was inspecting it.

Jack emerged from the shed; his pack on his back, his P90 and sig strapped to his body and his knife slotted into the space by his right boot. He passed Teal'c his pack and looked at Bhean. "You okay?"

She nodded. "Your weapons are strange."

"But effective." Daniel commented, clicking the safety into place on his weapon before tucking it into the waistband of his BDUs.

"You got everything, Daniel?"

"Camera, notebook, torches, everything I might need." confirmed the archaeologist.

Jack looked at Bhean once more. He was glad to see that she had a cloak of some description on; it covered her shoulders and stopped at her waist, her hair had been pulled into a braid, a few loose strands framing her face and he was pleased to see that she had shoes on her feet – he surmised that Banaphri had given her a pair of her own. "Look, if you want to go back, that's okay. You need to understand that by the time we get back, things here could be very different."

Bhean held Jack's gaze for what felt like an age. "Then why would I stay? I leave with chains, but I shall return free. I hope things change, Jack, I want them to."

Jack nodded and smiled at the young woman before looking at Teal'c. "Let's rock and roll."


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Hi all, here is the latest chapter. I was scrolling through the Sam/Jack fic and found mine on the page... apparently, I last updated on 29th May... was it really that long ago? I can't apologise enough.

Just two things, Jack in this one is a little violent, but I think this is quite true to his nature.. he tends to get handsy when he's frustrated or upset (or at least that's what I've picked up after re-watching the series) and there is a little interaction between Sam and Prionn... if you've read the story so far, you'll know Prionn and will therefore have an idea of how that went. Consider this your warning!

Mistakes are mine. I hope you enjoy it!

Thank you to marcyfoote, Wiggiesmom and dpdp for reviewing – and all of the guest reviewers too! You make my day, you honestly do! Love and kisses! x

Recap: _"Look, if you want to go back, that's okay. You need to understand that by the time we get back, things here could be very different."_

 _Bhean held Jack's gaze for what felt like an age. "Then why would I stay? I leave with chains, but I shall return free. I hope things change, Jack, I want them to."_

 _Jack nodded and smiled at the young woman before looking at Teal'c. "Let's rock and roll."_

 **Chapter 10**

King Rìgh sighed as he nursed as goblet of something strong and alcoholic. He raised the goblet to his lips and sipped the liquid, wincing at the burn it left as it trailed down his throat.

Sensing he wasn't alone, he stood and turned. He relaxed a little when he saw his wife watching him. "My atha, you know there is no need for you to be so quiet around me."

Bhanrí remained elegant and poised as she regarded her husband with a thoughtful expression. "This night is not the night to be poisoning yourself."

Rìgh dismissed her comments with a small chuckle. He picked the goblet up, its golden hues reflecting the fire in the far corner of the room. "It is a full moon, it is as good a reason as any."

"You feel guilt." stated Bhanrí, lowering herself to sit in the chair closest to the fire, its flames warming her.

Rìgh bowed his head, before joining his wife next to the fire. "I do not understand how Prionn's values are the way they are... I feel shame at his actions towards Carter." The old king looked weary as he stood between Bhanrí and the fire, the flames brought out the shadows of tiredness and sadness in his features. "After my father died and I gained the crown, I thought I could change Saorsa, but it seems he left a lasting impression on our son."

Bhanrí reached up to clasp at her husband's free hand. She held it tight, her bangles jangling. "Rìgh... Prionn has not been our son for a long time. He has allowed his hatred for the women of our population and our people's dark history cloud his mind and blacken his soul. He would not be a worthy king of our people, of _your_ people. It pains my heart to say this, but he needs to be stopped."

Rìgh returned the squeeze and sighed deeply. "I am tired, my atha. I am tired of fighting and worrying."

The auburn haired queen bent forward and rest her forehead on their clasped hands. "I know."

"The rebellion will happen, as it did before." muttered the king, looking deep into the fire. "I hope for all of our sakes, it ends favourably."

"Rìgh, you are descended from Thogail. You have her grace, her kindness and her mercy, it is no fault of your own that we are the way we are. Our people have lived like this for generations. It takes time to change our ways, but I know this, it _is_ time to change. We cannot live like this anymore."

Rìgh looked at his wife and chuckled. "Your wisdom is most helpful to me during dark times. I am thankful for it."

Bhanrí pulled back and stood. "I am your wife, it is my duty to give you counsel when you need it."

Rìgh tightened his grip on Bhanrí's hand for a moment. "Jack has started his part in the rebellion, yes?"

Bhanrí nodded slowly. "Yes."

"Then Prionn's worst is yet to come."

Bhanrí nodded again. "Yes."

"Then I am glad to have you and Jack by my side."

Bhanrí wrapped her arms around her husband, her face tucked into his chest as he wrapped his arm around her. "Atha, I will always be by your side." She let her husband go and caressed his face before turning to get her cloak.

Rìgh watched as his queen put on her cloak. As he did, he felt his stomach drop. "You are leaving the castle?"

"Yes, we all have our part to play – this is mine."

Rìgh put his goblet down and moved forwards, he raised his hands and tightened the fastenings on Bhanrí's cloak. "Move quickly and quietly. I do not wish for the Olc to claim you."

At that, Bhanrí left. The door closed softly and Rìgh ran a hand through his silver hair. In his heart of hearts, he knew that this day was always going to come. He knew that a rebellion would occur much like it did all those generations ago. He had tried to teach Prionn how important the women were of their civilisation, but his own father before him had poisoned Prionn's mind. The damage done was irreversible. Now, all he could do was wait. The last thing Rìgh wanted to do was alert his son to the stirrings of a rebellion.

oOoOoOoOo

Sam's eyes fluttered closed as she rest her head on the pole in front of her. She hated waiting. The major was almost half tempted to call out to the Olc to make it do what it was going to do. She had decided to try and regain some strength by resting as well as she could. She needed a clear head if she was going to fight the Olc.

She raised her left foot and let it rub her right angle. Even covered by her pants and boots, she could still feel the familiar presence of Jack's SIG covered, offering her a small feeling of protection and empowerment.

Sam jolted her eyes awake as she heard a rustle in the square. She tried to turn to see who – or what – was close by. She felt a bubble of panic rise in her chest as the rustles came ever closer to her, but as close as they came, they faded with a steady staccato.

Sam frowned. Clearly someone wasn't following the "don't leave your house under the full moon" rule. She used it as a distraction for her predicament. Sam closed her eyes and tried to think about who would have been walking around at this time. It wouldn't have been a woman – they were all petrified of the full moon and the threat of what would happen should they be outside. Sam deflated, it wouldn't have been Jack, Teal'c or Daniel; they would have untied her and ushered her back to the Stargate. Sam tried to shake the fuzziness of fatique and pain from her brain as she tried to solve the mystery that had presented itself.

Heavy authoritive footsteps sounded, from the direction that the rustling had originated from, making Sam stand to attention. As they grew louder, meaning they grew closer, Sam allowed herself to feel hope. Maybe this was Jack?

"I must say, the moonlight does wonders for you."

Sam closed her eyes as she felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise. A sneering, tyrannical voice reached her ears as she recognised the speaker.

"It really brings out the red of your blood." drawled Prionn. The wooden platform that Sam was tied to creaked as Prionn climbed the steps to be level with her.

Sam turned her head to face the other way as Prionn made his way over to her.

"That is not the etiquette a woman like you should display." said Prionn, standing behind the pole, leaving no choice but for Sam to look at him.

Prionn reached out and let his forefinger trail along Sam's shoulder. "You should be more polite given the reason I am here."

"And what reason is that?" asked Sam, glaring at the man in front of her.

Prionn didn't answer her straight away, he continued his exploration of Sam's shoulder with his fingertip. He smirked at her expression when his fingertip went lower to caress her breast.

"You are beautiful, for a baga. I have never quite seen a woman like you before." His fingertipped caress evolved into a groping hand. "Your hair glows like our three suns, even in the moonlight."

Sam clenched her jaw and curled her shackled hands into fists. She stared dead ahead, not given Prionn the satisfaction of seeing her react to his invasive touch.

"I have a proposal for you, Carter." said Prionn softly, but Sam could still hear the poisonous edge to his voice.

When she didn't reply, he continued. "I think your face is far too exquisite for the Olc to feast upon. I would much prefer to see it looking up at me as you'll kneel in front of me." He spoke so quietly not even the gentle breeze, that had stirred up again, could pick it up.

"Meaning?" asked Sam shortly.

Prionn chuckled. "You would be my personal servant; a very high honour for a witch like you. You would bear my sons and see that I am satisfied in _every_ manner. I could stop the Olc from taking you this night."

Sam looked at Prionn for the longest time, his hand still cupping one of her soft breasts and she laughed. "You are crazy if you think I would die under your service."

At that, Prionn dug his nails into her flesh and pulled and twisted, making Sam gasp. "You would rather the Olc wipe every trace of you from Saorsa? You would rather die than serve me?"

"Every damn time."

Prionn delivered a well aimed punch to Sam's stomach and he removed his hands from her body. "You have chosen your fate, baga. I offer you the choice – the choices you want me to allow other bagas like you – and you disrespect me!" Prionn grabbed Sam by her jaw, bending her neck to make her look at him. "This is all your fault and you have shown me exactly why I should not allow bagas the choice they so desperately crave. You are ungrateful and insignificant. You are the perfect choice for an Olc sacrifice."

Sam jerked her head away from Prionn's grasp and stared at him, the venom in her eyes matching his. "It's my choice. You can't take that from me."

Prionn glared at the blonde tied up before him. "No matter. You will never see your friends again. You will be digested by the Olc by the time the suns rise and your friends will be on their way to the stone ring that brought you here." Prionn turned to leave and he descended the steps. "Of course, I might change my mind and have them killed instead."

Sam froze. "No, wait-"

"Too late, Carter, you have made your choice." smirked Prionn. He gave a mock bow and left to go back to the castle.

Sam bit her lip to stop the sob that threatened to escape her. She had complete faith in her guys, but they were unarmed and outmanned. Guilt bubbled in her belly. It was bad enough that she had managed to get herself captured and split from the guys, now her stubbornness was going to get her team killed.

"Oh God..." whispered Sam, closing her eyes as a tear escaped.

oOoOoOoOo

SG1 and Bhean made their way through the town, relying on the darkness and the shadows of the buildings to protect them and hide them from sight. Jack went first, his P90 poised, his gaze scanning his surroundings for any possible threat – yes, everybody was inside, sheltered from the full moon, but Jack didn't want to take any chances. Teal'c brought up the rear, turning back every so often to ensure they weren't being followed by Prionn's soldiers and Daniel was in the middle, keeping Bhean close to him, his handgun raised, prepared to fire if needed.

Jack raised a closed fist, prompting the people behind him to stop. Staying low, he moved forwards and dashed across a wide opening in the street. He quickly hid himself in the shadows of what looked to be an alehouse.

Daniel and Teal'c kept their eyes on him, only his face visible in the darkness. Jack raised his hand and beckoned them to his spot, Daniel began to move when a strong grip on the scruff of his neck stopped him. Daniel frowned at Teal'c and saw why the Jaffa had done what he had. Jack's face had disappeared from view and for good reason.

Prionn was walking purposefully towards the castle with – what appeared to be – Blár trying to keep up with him. Daniel looked to see where Prionn had come from and his heart sank, he had come from where Sam was held. And judging by the furious expression on Jack's face, he had drawn the same conclusion.

Daniel waited until Prionn and Blár had turned the corner and were completely out of earshot and sight before rushing over to Jack, who had begun to go the other way to where Sam was.

"Jack!" hissed Daniel. "Stop!"

"That rat bastard was with Carter-"

"Jack, you can't go to her!"

Jack abruptly stopped and turned on his heel. With the same ferocity that he was walking towards Sam with, he stormed towards Daniel. Daniel grunted as Jack grabbed him by his collar and pinned him against the wall of a house. "Jack-"

"What the hell Daniel? Whose side are you on?"

Teal'c and Bhean caught up to the two and Teal'c placed a reassuring hand on Bhean's shoulder.

"Sam's obviously." said Daniel, his voice came out choked as Jack pinned his forearm to the scholar's throat. "Jack-"

"O'Neill." Teal'c called softly.

"Jack, if we help Sam now, we won't have time to do what we need to do! Sam's more than capable of looking out for herself. We need to look out for the Saorsans, that's our priority right now."

"She's injured, alone and unarmed, Daniel. I'm not giving up on her."

"No-one is saying you are! We know you care about her, we all do! It's just not the right thing to do right now." stressed Daniel. "Our best chance of helping Sam is to get to the ruins and figure this out."

Jack cursed and stepped back, giving Daniel room to breathe. He turned on his heel and looked at the well-trodden path that would take them towards the podium that Sam was currently tied to. He felt his eyes prickle with frustration at the mess they had found themselves in. He felt a heavy hand on his shoulder and if Teal'c had sensed the sadness and frustration in Jack, he never breathed a word.

"Come, O'Neill. We will return for Major Carter."

At that, Jack turned back and led the way to the other path that Bhean had told them would lead them directly out of the settlement.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: What's this? Two updates in a week?! It's the Summer holidays here in the UK and I have sunk my teeth into this! I almost finished writing it now, so you'll be able to see regular updates! Woo hoo!

I'm really starting to love Bhanrí, she's a feisty little thing! She is so up for this rebellion!

I hope you enjoy this one! There's a little scene you've all been waiting for here... let me know what you think!

Oh, a little while ago, I put a poll on my profile. The results are in and I will be posting an NCIS fic at the beginning of September! I haven't written for that fanbase for a long time! I hope I still have it!

Thanks again to my reviewers! I enjoy clicking on your names and checking out your profiles! I've read some great stuff which feeds my ever-hungry muse!

Shout out to Mirela for reviewing! Log in next time, I'd love to talk to you!

Big thanks to houghtam, dpdp and BeachCat0772 – I love seeing the same names pop up, it's nice to know people are still following this!

As always, mistakes are mine.

Recap: _Jack cursed and stepped back, giving Daniel room to breathe. He turned on his heel and looked at the well-trodden path that would take them towards the podium that Sam was currently tied to. He felt his eyes prickle with frustration at the mess they had found themselves in. He felt a heavy hand on his shoulder and if Teal'c had sensed the sadness and frustration in Jack, he never breathed a word._

" _Come, O'Neill. We will return for Major Carter."_

 _At that, Jack turned back and led the way to the other path that Bhean had told them would lead them directly out of the settlement._

 **Chapter 11**

If there was one thing Banaphri was good at, it was gliding through the castles she resided in; like a ghost, completely unnoticed. It was a skill she had picked up from her mother, so when she rounded the corner to bump into said matriarch, she nearly cried out in surprise.

Bhanrí closed her hand over her daughter's mouth, hushing her. "Be silent, child."

Banaphri nodded and took a step back from her mother. "You startled me, Mother." She shivered from the cold of her mother's hand, which was when she noticed that she was wearing a long cloak. "You have been outside?! Are you unwell in the head?"

Bhanrí afforded her a small smile before linking her arm with her daughter's and continuing her walk. "How did your mission fare?" she asked with a hushed undertone, her voice barely loud enough to be heard over their silent steps.

"It went well. I spoke to Ceann, I believe he will aid us when it is time. He has sent his closest men to spread the word to those that can be trusted." When her mother did not reply, Banaphri regarded her with a thoughtful look. "Mother?"

Bhanrí pulled her daughter behind a column of the castle drenched with moonlit shadow. "Hush."

A set of armoured footsteps walked past them, an aroma of ale and rust telling them that it was a pack of soldiers returning to their posts from the cellar. Once the steps had faded away, Bhanrí peered around the corner to check to see if the way was clear.

"Do not speak until we reach Jack's room."

They walked quickly and quietly, blending into the unnatural quiet of the night and melting into the shadows when they heard the familiar sounds of armoured footsteps. The royal women reached Jack's room and once they were in, Bhanrí relieved herself of the cloak she wore and Banaphri bolted the door shut.

"Mother, where did you go? It is not safe to venture outside during this night."

Bhanrí ignored her daughter's scolding. "I left the castle and went into the town. I spoke to several of our friends and they have agreed to pass the message along. Banaphri, they are ready to fight for you."

Banaphri's blood chilled as she turned to face her mother. "Me? Asking Ceann to fight for me is different, Mother. I cannot ask people to willingly sacrifice themselves for me."

"Bhean has." said the Queen softly, lowering herself to sit on Jack's bed. She watched her daughter begin to pace.

"Against my wishes." Banaphri reminded her mother. "We are not starting this so I can rule. We are starting this so we have a chance at a fair life, as equals."

Bhanrí extended her hand, beckoning the princess to join her on the bed. "My child, what better way to start a life of equality and fairness with you on the throne? You are just, sympathetic, strong and you have a good heart. These are qualities a leader needs. You are in a fortuitous position. You would be a good ruler, like your father and like Thogail."

"I do not think I would be a good ruler. I know nothing of taxes or warfare."

"But you would learn. You have plenty of friends to help you. Your father would teach you." Bhanrí got up from the bed and knelt in front of her daughter and clasped her hands in her own. "My child, I have lived my life in the shadows of men. This opportunity will not arise again in my life time, perhaps not again in yours. You need to consider this. This is your first taste of freedom. The life we want will not be handed to us, we must take it. This is something the majority of our people are too afraid to voice. Too long have we let the loud few overrule the quiet many and with Jack's help – we can overturn this. We _can_ be free. All we need is a figure to look to."

Banaphri allowed her mother to caress her face and wipe a tear away. "Father-"

"Your father is tired. His time is ending, whether it is time that catches up with him or something else. He knows it, I know it and Prionn knows it. The people will follow you. _Your_ people will follow you."

Banaphri remained silent, taking her mother's words in. She looked at her mother, hesitant determination set on her face. She opened her mouth to speak when she heard voices from the courtyard below.

Both women moved to peer out of the slim, stone window. "It's Prionn." whispered Banaphri.

They watched him swagger into the courtyard, laughing with Blár as they came closer to the castle. Watching the way he strutted ever closer, Banaphri felt something set in her stomach – she heard her mother's words play over again in her head. This _had_ to happen. Arrogance radiated from her brother and that was not a trait of a good ruler.

As Prionn disappeared from sight, Banaphri held her mother's hand. "I will do it."

Bhanrí squeezed her daughter's hand. "Listen, child, we do not have a lot of time. Prionn will discover that Jack and his friends are not here and we cannot be here when he does. I will find your father and speak with him. You must return to our room and you must not discuss what we are doing with anybody you do not trust with your life. We are not ready for Prionn just yet."

"I understand."

Bhanrí caressed Banaphri's face. "When I gave birth to you, my heart sank. I did not want for you the life I had. Tonight, I am glad I had a girl." she pressed a kiss to her daughter's forehead, before collecting her cloak from Jack's bed. She unbolted the door and regarded her daughter with a wary look. "Move quickly."

Banaphri watched her mother leave before looking around the room one more time. She looked at the moon outside the window and let out a breath she didn't realise she was holding. After tonight, she prayed her people would no longer fear the full moon.

oOoOoOoOo

Jack repressed a growl when he heard Daniel call his name. He came to a stop and counted to ten in his head before he turned to look at the archaeologist. He realised that Daniel and Bhean were some way behind him and that Teal'c had stopped a couple of yards earlier to allow them time to catch up.

Jack took in Bhean's weary face and how she was huddled in her cloak and immediately felt guilty. He waited patiently as the trio caught up to him and he removed his canteen from his pack and offered it to Bhean. "You alright?"

Bhean took it with thanks and drank from it gratefully. "I have not done this journey in the dark before. You remember the way well." she commented, handing him back his canteen.

"All part of the training." said Jack, before looking pointedly at Teal'c and Daniel. The boys understood the hint and continued walking, leaving Jack alone with Bhean.

"Is everything alright, Jack?" asked Bhean, tucking her flyaway curls behind her ears.

"I'm sorry."

Bhean's brow furrowed with confusion. "I do not see a reason for you to apologise, Jack. I understand that Prionn has wronged you and I understand that Carter means a lot to you."

Jack cleared his throat. "She does, yeah."

Bhean smiled before continuing her walk, leaving Jack alone for a moment. Jack looked up and took in the stars in the night sky. He noticed that the lack of light pollution meant he could see all of the stars, bright and twinkling – if he squinted, he could see a nebula probably some millions of light years away. He imagined Sam doing the same and for just one second, Jack hated the Air Force.

He hated not being able to express himself the way he wanted to. He hated how he had to abide by the regulations forced upon him. He hated how he was only just managing to keep a lid on his emotions. He wanted nothing more than to hold Sam close and get off this godforsaken planet. He watched Bhean reach Teal'c and Daniel before starting his walk to catch them up.

Daniel greeted Bhean with a smile as he watched Jack look up at the sky. "Everything okay?"

Bhean nodded before looking over her shoulder at Jack. "I am fine, though I am not sure he is."

Daniel smiled and Teal'c bowed his head, a small smile gracing his own features. "Jack is sensitive when it comes to Sam."

"Sensitive?"

"Jack cares for Sam a lot."

"In some worlds, they are considered soulmates." offered Teal'c. "They care deeply for one another."

"They are in love?" asked Bhean.

Daniel and Teal'c shared a look. "Oh I'd say so."

Bhean smiled wistfully. "Such love is a fairy tale in Saorsa. The only man I know to love and care for a woman is the king. It is considered a weakness."

"Maybe one day, it won't be." assured Daniel. "But for Sam and Jack, it's a little complicated."

"And not something we should discuss?" said Bhean, picking up the hint.

"Indeed."

Jack reached the group and regarded Teal'c with an almost worried look. "The wind has picked up."

"I concur, O'Neill." said Teal'c, gripping his staff tightly.

"How long before we reach the ruins?" asked Daniel.

"I estimate another hour to reach the stream." said Jack checking his watch.

"Is the walk to the ruins long from the stream?" Daniel asked Bhean.

Bhean shook her head. "It is the shortest part of the trek. No longer than walking from the bottom of the town to the castle gates."

"Sounds good, we should be back before dawn. Right, T?"

Teal'c didn't answer, he was staring intently into the distance, the grip on his staff weapon had not relaxed.

"Teal'c?" called Daniel.

Jack followed Teal'c's line of sight and raised his gun when he saw what the Jaffa had seen.

There was a movement in the distance. A large dark shadow was growing ever closer and it was Bhean that identified the mass.

"The Olc."

A red hot anger surged through Jack's veins. He could save them all, and the Saorsans, the trouble of being bothered by this entity ever again. He could stop it from reaching Sam. With that thought in mind, he raised his gun higher.

"Daniel, take Bhean and get low." In his peripheral vision, he saw Daniel pull Bhean close to him and then to the ground. "Teal'c?"

"I am with you, O'Neill."

The Olc had not slowed at the open hostility one half of SG-1 were displaying. It stalked closer until Jack could see the white of its eyes almost hidden by its hood. Whatever it was, Olc or not, it was tall, taller than Teal'c. Its long body was draped in a long, black cloak. The material seemed shredded and was flapping in the wind behind it. Where the Olc walked, there was a thick, black mist, shrouding its steps and its body and under the hood was pure darkness, except for piercing white eyes. No pupil, no iris, just blinding white.

The Olc stopped advancing just far enough that the team could hear deep, rasping breaths that would rattle the ribcage of any normal man. The Olc extended a hand in front of it, almost warning them. The long, sinewy fingers encased in gray, scaly skin sent a burst of wind towards them, making them take a step back.

"You're not going any further!" called Jack. "The folks here are done with you terrorising them, so you can hop on whatever mothership you flew in on and get out of here."

The Olc's eyes turned to Bhean and it began advancing. Bhean in her panic, screamed and pulled away from Daniel to start running. Daniel ran after her, his gun pulled out as he did, ready to shoot if it reached them. Jack and Teal'c opened fire at the Olc.

Daniel reached Bhean and grabbed her arm. "Wait! We might need to help them!"

"The Olc looked at me! It will take me!"

Jack emptied his clip and watched as Teal'c fired more blasts. The Olc disappeared in a mixture of mist and smoke. "Did you get it?"

"Of that I am certain, O'Neill."

The smoke and debris from the ground cleared and Jack took a step back when he saw the Olc standing tall, the bullets had not touched it and from what he could see, there was no damage from Teal'c's staff. The Olc turned its head towards Jack and let out a screeching roar. The frequency of the screech forced them all to drop to their knees, clutching their heads, while the undertones of the roar made them shiver with something akin to fear.

The Olc outstretched its arms and it glided towards them with a pace that made Teal'c react with more staff blasts. The Olc sent a bolt of light towards Teal'c, engulfing him in white.

"Teal'c!"

The light faded and Teal'c fell to the floor. The Olc sent more light towards Bhean and Daniel, both of them hitting the ground with a stomach churning thud. Jack pulled his knife from his belt and raised it when the Olc stopped in front of him.

He jabbed with it, catching the Olc in its side. The Olc screeched and enclosed its fingers around Jack's throat. The Olc snarled as it pulled Jack closer. As Jack struggled to breathe, he dropped the knife and focused on trying to peel the long fingers from his throat.

"You are not of this world." growled the beast, a death rattle accompanying each syllable.

"No." choked Jack.

At that, the Olc threw him from its grasp. As Jack hit the floor, trying to breathe despite the air being knocked from his lungs, the Olc hit him with the same bolt of light it had hit the others with.

Jack's last conscious thought was Sam.

 _I'm sorry, Sam. I failed._


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: I am really sorry, I have watched a lot of Game of Thrones recently.. the rating has changed to an M to cover all bases. Not sure this qualifies, but better safe than sorry! ^.^

Trigger warning: (almost) sexual assault.

Thank you for all of your reviews, especially to Indy and Moebius for their thoughts.

As always, mistakes are mine. Enjoy!

Recap: _"You are not of this world." growled the beast, a death rattle accompanying each syllable._

" _No." choked Jack._

 _At that, the Olc threw him from its grasp. As Jack hit the floor, trying to breathe despite the air being knocked from his lungs, the Olc hit him with the same bolt of light it had hit the others with._

 _Jack's last conscious thought was Sam._

 _I'm sorry, Sam. I failed._

 **Chapter 12**

Blár watched Prionn as he paced his study.

He had known the prince for as long as he could remember. He remembered attending studies with him when they were younger. Blár had never been as academic as Prionn, something other castle dwellers had picked up upon. He remembered them teasing him and calling him names, especially when he could not keep up with training. Prionn had stepped in one evening, when the others were pelting him stones and had put an end to his torment. He had dealt with the bullies and even to this day, those that had tortured him would not even look him in his eye.

Blár felt a sense of power having Prionn as his friend and when Prionn had approached him later to encourage their strange friendship, he was only too happy to oblige.

When Prionn gained more responsibility, so did Blár. He had proved himself useful and reliable to Prionn's cause and he considered himself to be Prionn's closest confidante.

So, when Prionn had told him of his plans to rid the kingdom of his wet shite of a father, Blár reacted with glee. With Prionn in charge, more people would fear him and respect him. A lot of power came to one who was considered the second in charge. Blár could have whatever he wanted.

"The wind has picked up." commented Blár desperate to fill the silence.

"Of course it has. The Olc will be here soon."

"Then, the witch will be no more. We will go back to how we were."

Prionn stopped pacing and regarded Blár with an apathetic look. "Will we now?"

Blár frowned before an arrogant smirk appeared on his face. "Of course. Now that horrid witch is Olc-feast, the people will see that you mean what you say. There will be no more action against your word."

Prionn plastered a smirk on his face. "You think so?"

"Definitely."

"My, my, Blár, your intelligence is of a great concern to me at times."

Blár lost his smirk. "I don't understand."

"Of course you don't." Prionn rolled his eyes and returned his gaze to the fire.

Blár looked at the floor, thinking about what he had said. "Perhaps you could explain it to me."

Prionn let out a long suffering sigh. "I beg for the day where I no longer have to explain things to you." Prionn turned to face his second in command. "It is true the Olc will feast upon the fair haired baga, but that does not solve my problem."

"Why not?"

"Because she said no and other bagas heard her!" Prionn shouted the last word, his voice bouncing off of the stone walls. "She had planted the illusion of choice in their pitiful minds. I am no fool, Blár, I am very aware that there are more of them than there are us."

"They are not clever enough to rise against you, Prionn."

"No, they are not." mused Prionn. "Jack, however, is."

"So, we kill him." supplied Blár, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Of course, but still, the seed of rebellion has been sewn. People will look to someone to lead them, and I have the repulsive idea that it will be Banaphri."

Blár laughed out loud. "They will not look to her, my Prince. She is a baga and she wears the same chains the others do. She is no better than they are."

Prionn stood up straight. "No, she is not. She is exactly like them." Prionn began to pace again, an idea forming in his head.

"Blár, how long have you been by my side?"

Slightly affronted, Blár replied. "Since we were children."

Prionn smiled at Blár. "Then I think it is time for a reward for such loyal service."

oOoOoOoOo

Banaphri entered her room and closed the door softly behind her. She turned around and took in the room around her. It was still a state from when Blár had taken Sam. She could see that a struggle had taken place, her mother's chair was in pieces next to the long dead fire. She winced as imagined Sam being thrown into it. Her mother's tea set was shattered in pieces and there was a small pool of congealed blood on the stone floor.

She quickly busied herself with cleaning up the evidence of hatred and violence. After tossing her mother's broken chair into the fire place and finding something close to glue and leaving the newly repaired tea set to dry, she gathered the necessary materials needed to clean the floor. On her hands and knees, she scrubbed with vigour to get rid of the red stain. She sat upright with a sigh and brushed a stray auburn curl out of her face.

"If I had my way, I would have you on your knees at all times."

Banaphri turned and stood as she took in the figure leaning against the door. "Blár." How had she not heard the door opening and closing again? She scolded herself for letting her guard down.

"Of course, I will have my way, so perhaps you will be on your knees at all times."

"What are you talking about?" asked Banaphri.

Blár chuckled to himself. "Prionn is right, you really are a simple minded baga." he stepped into the room and stepped closer to Banaphri. "Tell me, how do you feel knowing that you are to be wed to me once Prionn takes his throne?"

Banaphri felt a weight settle in her stomach. "What?"

"For my impeccable service to your brother, I have been given a gift. Well, you were rightfully mine anyway, but it is rather touching to hear it aloud. It shows he cares." Blár came further into the room and began to advance on the princess. "You are mine."

Before she could help herself, Banaphri scoffed. "I do not think so."

Blár smirked. "Oh, but I do and my thoughts count for a lot more than yours, baga. You would do well to remember that." Blár smiled harder as he closed his eyes for a moment. "Just think; I would take you for my wife and you would bear me many sons."

Banaphri felt bile rise in her throat. "This will not happen, Blár. Prionn will not take the throne, my father still sits there."

Blár let his head fall back as he let out a full bellied laugh. "That will not be for much longer. He is as old as he is stupid. Prionn will be sat on the throne with the crown before the next moon."

"What you say is treason."

Blár regarded the princess with an amused look. "What is treasonous here, baga, is the fact that you are not accepting your fate."

"I will not accept a life of servitude to you."

At this, Blár's humourous demeanour vanished and was replaced by an angry look of hatred. He crossed the floor to grab Banaphri by her upper arms, as she began to struggle, he struck her across the face and pushed her backwards until he fell on top of her, the queen's bed breaking their fall.

Blár smirked, as he easily pinned Banaphri's hands above her with one hand. "This is your mother's bed, is it not?"

Banaphri struggled underneath him. "Stop." She was met with another sharp slap across her face.

"You have no right to tell me to stop." he breathed above her. "Just take this as practise for when we are married. I, for one, cannot wait."

With his other hand, Blár reached down and pulled up Banaphri's tunic. He fiddled with the fastenings on his pants and let out a groan of relief when he freed himself from the increasingly tight confines of his pants. He gripped himself with his free hand and stroked before placing himself at Banaphri's entrance.

"Please! Stop!"

Blár let her hands go and buried his other hand in her hair, he pulled her hair sharply and pressed his lips to hers. Banaphri used her hands to beat at Blár's back, but it did not deter him.

"You should be thanking me. No man would ever want you with the way you are acting right now. It is a good thing I quite enjoy a fight. Believe me, Princess, this is a good thing. I am going to be your first and your only."

Banaphri scrunched her eyes closed, bracing herself for the sharp sting that never came. Instead, she heard a harsh gasp, a crunch and a squelch. Banaphri opened her eyes to see Blár's lifeless eyes staring down at her, the blood soaked tip of a sword protruding from his mouth.

Banaphri let out a gasp as she watched a strong pair of hands pull Blar's lifeless body off of her. She looked down as his body hit the floor with a dull thud before looking up at her saviour.

"Ceann."

Upon hearing his name, Ceann turned away to clean his sword. Banaphri quickly used the moment to right her clothing before she got up.

"Ceann."

Ceann turned to face Banaphri and caught her as she threw herself at him. He returned the hug once she realised she was crying. "He will not harm you anymore, Princess."

Embarrassed, Banaphri let Ceann go as a blush settled on her cheeks. "We need to hide this, Prionn will not be happy once he discovers what has happened to Blár."

"I agree." said Ceann, he looked at Banaphri with a regretful look. "I will need your help moving him."

Banaphri nodded. "Where?"

"There is an unused cupboard on the floor above us. We can put him there for now. I can get some of my men to find a more permanent place for him after that."

"Right."

Ceann stopped and brushed some of Blár's blood from Banaphri's face. "Are you alright?"

A range of emotions passed over Banaphri's face before she regarded him with a worried look. "I am afraid when Prionn finds out, he will kill my father. I cannot let that happen, we are not ready to fight him yet."

"Then we will hide this as long as we can. Once we hide Blár, we will clean in here and you will burn your clothing. That should buy us some time while your visitors return from the ruins. Then we will be ready."

Banaphri nodded. The two worked quickly. They moved Blár from the room, Ceann dragging him along the stone corridors and Banaphri running ahead to check to see if the next corridor was free. Once he was hidden, Ceann escorted Banaphri back to her room, where they quickly cleared all traces of the incident.

The sandy haired soldier stood guard outside Banaphri's room as she changed out of her blood soaked tunic. Ceann cleared his throat and knocked on the door.

"Banaphri?" He opened the door slowly to see Banaphri in a new gown, on her knees in front of the fireplace, trying to start it. He walked in and took the flints from her shaking hands.

"I am sorry."

"Do not be sorry." murmured Ceann as he started the fire with practiced ease. He stoked the embers and they both watched in silence as the flames slowly burnt her dress.

"Ceann?"

"Yes, Princess."

"I cannot thank you enough for what you did, for what you are about to do, for me."

Ceann flashed her a rare smile. "You do not need to thank me. It is about time that tyrant got what is coming to him."

Banaphri smiled back, when the wind picked up and whistled through the windows and cracks in the walls. Both of them lost their smiles as they registered the ferocity of the wind.

"It is here."

Banaphri felt a lump rise to her throat. "Carter..."


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Thank you for all of your reviews and favourites! Because I'm really nosy and have to know things, I've been reviewing my traffic stats for the story and wow, you guys are incredible!

Extra special thanks to Indy, Wiggiesmom, dpdp, gabumon7 and sg1sam!

As always, mistakes are mine. Enjoy!

Recap: _Ceann flashed her a rare smile. "You do not need to thank me. It is about time that tyrant got what is coming to him."_

 _Banaphri smiled back, when the wind picked up and whistled through the windows and cracks in the walls. Both of them lost their smiles as they registered the ferocity of the wind._

" _It is here."_

 _Banaphri felt a lump rise to her throat. "Carter..."_

 **Chapter 13**

The first thing Jack registered as he slowly became conscious was a strong hand shaking his shoulder.

"O'Neill."

Jack cracked his eyes open to see Teal'c silhouette kneeling next to him, staff in hand."T?"

"It is I, O'Neill. The Olc has left us." Teal'c knelt back and watched as Jack shakily pulled himself to an upright sitting position.

Jack groaned and caught his head in his hands as it fell forward. He noted that the wind had died down, in its place, a gentle breeze caressing his face. He took off his hat and threw it on the ground in front of him.

He felt nauseous, his eyes hurt and every muscle in his body ached. "T, how long was I out?"

"No more than five minutes, O'Neill."

"Daniel and Bhean?"

"They are also recovering."

Jack groaned and pulled his head up. He paused a moment before accepting Teal'c's outstretched hand. Teal'c pulled Jack up as he stood and placed his hand on his shoulder as Jack swayed.

"I feel like crap."

Teal'c bowed his head. "It will pass. I no longer feel the effects of the Olc's light."

"Yeah, well, we don't all have a Junior to take care of us." grumbled Jack, rubbing the back of his head. He blinked heavily before regarding Teal'c with a worried look. "T, I emptied my clip and it didn't even touch it."

"My staff weapon was equally ineffective. The Olc seems to be a creature of great power."

Jack scoffed before pinching the bridge of his nose. "If we can't beat it, how the hell are we gonna help Carter?"

oOoOoOoOo

Bhanrí knocked gently on a large oak door before pushing it open. She slipped into the room and closed the door quietly behind her. She righted her clothes and stepped forward.

Rìgh had not moved from his chair next to the fire. Not for the first time in her life, Bhanrí felt frustration towards her husband. She moved to stand in front of him and rest her hands on her hips.

"Atha, you have returned."

Bhanrí shook her head. "Will you not play your part in this?"

Rìgh chuckled. "What would you have me do, Bhanrí? If I behave the way you wish for me to, the rebellion will be over before it starts. Too many eyes and ears are loyal to our son – he will catch on."

"You do not need to be so passive." said Bhanrí, lowering herself to kneel next to her husband. She took a breath to calm herself. "The last I was aware, you were still the king – not Prionn."

"Not for much longer."

Bhanrí shook her head again. "Of what do you speak?"

"The price of this rebellion will include my life, my atha. I have accepted this and in your heart, you have too." Rìgh got out of the chair and as he did, he caressed his wife's face. "I will not be around to teach our daughter what she needs to know, but you will be."

Bhanrí lowered her head. "I do not like you speaking like this."

Rìgh chuckled before lowering himself to kneel in front of his wife. "You spoke the truth to me. You have been telling me for years and now, you have helped me see it with my own eyes – it is only fair I return the same courtesy to you."

Bhanrí met the king's gaze with glassy eyes. "I-"

"Please hear me." interrupted Rìgh. "You have been by my side for longer than I have reigned. You have played your part well and as you have done so, you have learnt what Banaphri will need to know. You can teach her – this is the only task I will order you to do."

"Rìgh-"

"Bhanrí, you are my equal in every way. We run this kingdom together and it has prospered well, but with your knowledge and Banaphri's reign, it will be better than it has ever been. I am sorry I did not achieve this in my time on the throne, but I am at peace with the fact that it will be done through the rightful heir. Our daughter needs you."

Bhanrí fell into Rìgh's arms and held him tight. "But I need you."

Rìgh caressed his wife's hair. "You do not need me any longer. You will no longer need me to be your voice, you will be able to use your own and it will be listened to." He held her tighter to him. "For always, I am yours and you are mine. I will wait for you in the amhan and once you come, we will continue our life together – of this I will be forever sure."

oOoOoOoOo

The stillness of the air around them should have brought ease, but after facing the Olc for the first time, Daniel understood why the Saorsans were so fearful. He had watched how Bhean had gone from quietly confidant rebel to someone who had retreated so far into her shell; he wasn't sure how she would get back.

He left Jack and Teal'c alone to talk and had walked a few metres to where Bhean was sitting on the floor. Her arms were wrapped around her knees and she was rocking while whispering what he assumed were prayers in her native language.

Daniel cleared ran a hand through his hair and took off his glasses before squatting next to the shaken woman. "Bhean..." he began softly.

Bhean stopped rocking and muttering and looked at Daniel. Fear evident all over her face. "Daniel?"

Daniel shifted so he was sitting. "This is probably going to sound like a stupid question, but are you okay?"

Bhean laughed hard. Her laughs were strong and caught the attention of Jack and Teal'c. Daniel watched with concern as her laughs slowly changed into sobs. He moved closer and pulled her to him. She clutched his jacket in her hands as her head rest on his shoulder.

Daniel raised a hand to wave off Jack and Teal'c's approaching forms before placing it on her back.

Once she had finished, she pulled away. "I am sorry."

Daniel shrugged. "You don't need to be sorry."

Bhean went back to hugging her knees to her chest. "We have been told for the longest time that the Olc is something not to cross. It was told to us every day. Female Saorsans are so afraid of it-"

"It kept you in line?" offered Daniel.

"Yes, we always did our duty, we did not wish to be sacrificed to the Olc. Some of us always wondered about it. What would it look like? We never knew. But now I have seen it."

Daniel looked at her with a thoughtful expression. "It scares you still."

Bhean nodded, fresh tears pooling in her eyes. "It is horrible. Even in my wildest imagination, I could not have conjured anything that horrid. However, I am confused." Bhean brushed the tears from her eyes. "We were told the Olc captures women with the full moon in the air, any woman not safe inside."

"I don't underst-"

"Daniel, I am a woman wandering through the plains under the full moon. Why did it not come for me?"

Daniel looked at Bhean for the longest time. It was true. The scrolls he and Teal'c read spoke about the Olc claiming women for whatever purpose under the full moon. While Sam was the official offering, Bhean was perfect for the taking. It stopped SG1 easily enough, so why did it not take Bhean?

"I'm afraid I can't answer that, but maybe the ruins will."

Bhean nodded. "We must get to the ruins." She stood up and brushed grass from her tunic and cloak. She fixed Daniel with a determined look. "If it did not take me, maybe the ruins will tell us why and we could use that to help Sam."

At this point, Jack and Teal'c joined them. "You alright, Bhean?"

Bhean nodded. "Yes, Jack."

"Great. Daniel, we're turning back."

Daniel rounded on Jack, confusion on his face and he didn't miss the brief look of surprise on Teal'c's face. "What?"

"You heard me." said Jack, replacing the empty clip in his P90 with a full one. "We are not letting Carter face that alone."

Daniel threw his hands out. "Jack, what can we do? The Olc took us out with its mind and nothing we threw at it stopped it! We are almost at the ruins, we can't go back now! Bhean's right, it could have got her but it didn't, the ruins-"

"That's because we shot at it! We distracted it away from her." argued Jack, shouldering his pack. "Carter won't be that lucky."

"Jack, what on Earth do you think we could do to stop it?! We could start back now and completely miss Sam! The Olc will be there by now!"

"Daniel-" warned Jack.

"No, I've got to say this. We know you care about Sam, we all do but if we've learnt anything from the scrolls it says that the Olc takes women, it doesn't say anything about killing them."

"Those scrolls are ancient, Daniel!" Jack shouted. "The death thing is well implied and I for one am not going to leave Carter alone so that thing can get its mangy claws on her. So what if she disappears?! Where the hell is she going to disappear to?! I know where she is now and I plan on taking advantage of that!"

The architect scoffed and took a step back. "We wouldn't get back in time and I don't think the Saorsans would help! They are scared!"

"And how do you think Carter feels?! She's injured and alone." roared Jack. He let out a harsh breath before moving to stand toe to toe with Daniel. He ignored Teal'c placing his hand on his shoulder. "I'm going back, whether you come with me or not and if I die trying to help her, then at least I die with the knowledge I did everything I could!"

"What is it with you military types wanting to run around and shoot things?! It's not going to work, Jack! You'll be killed!"

"It's what friends do for each other, Daniel. I thought you were hers."

Once Jack had finished speaking, all that could be heard was the breeze ruffling the grass at their feet. Both Jack and Daniel were breathing hard, glaring at one another. Bhean placed a hand on both of the men's arms and Teal'c glanced between them silently.

With as much conviction he could muster, Daniel spoke. "She is my friend, Jack. And despite what you think right now, you're my friend too. I'm trying to stop my friends from dying, but if you want to charge in and battle with a force you know you can't beat, then be my guest." Daniel straightened his glasses. "I'm going to the ruins, which is what we set out to do. Right now, it's still the best thing to help Sam."

At that he began walking towards the stream, glittering in the distance under the full moon. Bhean hesitated for a moment before she bowed her head to Jack and followed Daniel, jogging to catch up with his large strides.

Jack looked at Teal'c, who regarded him with an impassive expression. "Teal'c-"

"It is unwise to go now, O'Neill. Daniel Jackson is correct, this is the best way to aid Major Carter."

"To follow the Olc to Carter would be a fool's errand."

Both Teal'c and Jack turned to see Glic walking towards them. His white cloak bright in the moonlight. He was carrying a satchel with scrolls sticking out from the opening and in his hand, he carried a lantern with a candle to dimly light his way.

"Glic." Teal'c bowed.

"Jack, there is not a lot of time. We must get to the ruins."

"What about Carter? She hasn't got a lot of time either."

If Glic was unsettled by the anger behind Jack's words, he didn't show it. "I understand your concern for your friend, Jack, however, I believe there is more to Carter's story than meeting the end with the Olc."

"I can't afford to take that chance." said Jack softly.

Glic placed what he hoped was a comforting hand on Jack's shoulder. "Let us investigate the ruins and as we return to Saorsa, I will help you rip our home apart to find her."

"O'Neill, Major Carter has proven herself to be worthy warrior. She is resourceful and clever. You said yourself that she would gate to the Alpha site when she has escaped. You have not doubted her before, do not start now."

Jack took in their words and was grateful to Glic for his promise and to Teal'c for saying 'when' instead of 'if'. His stomach dropped again as he felt the same feeling of defeat he felt when Sam had accepted what was happening to her and urged him to do the same. Leaving her to fend for herself in the circumstances she was in went against everything he believed in, but the logical voice in his head – which annoyingly sounded like Daniel – knew that going after her and the Olc now would only end in bloodshed. He looked up at the sky and found comfort in the alien constellations, knowing that Sam would be observing them too.

"Teal'c," Jack hoped the Jaffa didn't hear the break in his voice as he spoke. "Radio Daniel and tell him to wait up."

oOoOoOoOo

Sam's head lolled as she fought sleep. The wind was bittersweet as it whipped through the air around her.

On one hand, it cooled her as she felt the beginnings of fever spread through her – she surmised that her wounds were beginning to get infected. She shuddered to think of the sanitary state of the whip that was used on her. How many people had Prionn used it on?

On the other, it made her back protest and her wince every time a particularly strong gust blew past her.

To distract herself, she lift her head up to see the stars above her. She had figured out that they were no longer in the Milky Way system. She couldn't even see the Andromeda constellation. She breathed out a small laugh, she wondered if Jack had figured that out yet.

She lost her smile when she thought of Jack. He looked so torn leaving her on the stand in the state she was in. Part of her had hoped that he would break out of the castle to free her, then they could have made a run for the Stargate. Realistically, she knew it never would have worked out that way, but it was nice to fantasise.

"God." she uttered when the wind whipped past her again. Only this time, the wind didn't stop blowing. She closed her eyes as she felt it tear through her hair. She felt goosebumps appearing on her skin and she let out a harsh breath.

She was so cold.

She heard the floor beneath her feet creak close to the steps, connecting the stage to the ground and her heart froze. Sam hesitated between wanting to see who was there and never wanting to close her eyes again.

Curiosity won over fear and she slowly opened her eyes enough to see.

She wished she hadn't.

A long, dark, cloaked figure was no more than an arm's distance away. Sam took in the hood covering its face, the long, scaly fingers protruding from the sleeves of the cloak and the bright white eyes. The creature drew ever closer and Sam boxed up her fear.

"Get away from me!"

The Olc continued its path until it was in front of her. Its soulless, bright white eyes stared at her as it drew in rattling breaths.

"I will end your suffering now, baga."

"Wait!"

A bright light surrounded Sam and she knew no more.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Out of interest in full disclosure, I am off on vay-cay next week, so I won't be updating. So, I thought I'd update now (and possibly again on Sunday) to make up for it.

Also, I am loving the Olc theories that are coming my way. The Asgard seems to be the most popular so far! Let me know what you think!

Thank you all for the reviews and favourites!

Mega thanks to; marcyfoote, dpdp, Wiggiesmom, gabumon7, houghtam and Yol!

As always, mistakes are mine. Enjoy!

Recap: _Curiosity won over fear and she slowly opened her eyes enough to see._

 _She wished she hadn't._

 _A long, dark, cloaked figure was no more than an arm's distance away. Sam took in the hood covering its face, the long, scaly fingers protruding from the sleeves of the cloak and the bright white eyes. The creature drew ever closer and Sam boxed up her fear._

" _Get away from me!"_

 _The Olc continued its path until it was in front of her. Its soulless, bright white eyes stared at her as it drew in rattling breaths._

" _I will end your suffering now, baga."_

" _Wait!"_

 _A bright light surrounded Sam and she knew no more._

 **Chapter 14**

As Glic had joined their party, Jack and Teal'c walked to the ruins in silence. Once they got across the ankle deep stream and saw the ever-growing silhouette of the ruins in the distance, Jack slowed his walk.

Teal'c noticing the colonel's pace did the same and looked at him with an arched eyebrow. "O'Neill?"

"Go ahead Teal'c. I'll look out."

The Jaffa bowed his head and escorted Glic the rest of the way to the ruins.

Jack watched them go and could see their shadows being cast by the light inside the ruins. Lights that Daniel had good sense to bring. He could hear Glic and Daniel chattering animatedly, excitement in both of their voices.

"Good to hear Danny's getting what he wants." Jack muttered bitterly. He turned his back on the ruins and brooded as he observed where he was.

The ruins were located at the top of a steep hill. What was once a beautiful structure was now just a shell. The stones that made up the last of what Jack suspected was a temple of some kind, were incredibly weather worn. Time had stained the stones darker and various plants were growing around the stones and through the cracks. Jack had recognised one of the plants to that similarly of ivy.

From the hill they were on, Jack could see – well, as well as he could see in the dark – the town that they had walked from, small lights dotted around. He could see the Stargate's silhouette in the darkness and he could see that tree that they had walked past just half a day ago.

It stood tall and proud, unbent and unshaken in the Olc's winds. It was still shrouded in fireflies and even in the dark, he could still see its emerald hues. Jack studied the shape of the tree from where he was and he noted that the same tree was the insignia on the Saorsans flag.

He was no archaeologist but he would have been inclined to believe that that tree held some significance to the Saorsans. He made a mental note to ask Glic when he saw him again later.

He turned again to look east. He was thankful to see that the suns weren't rising just yet. He smirked as he heard Sam's voice floating in his head.

 _Well, that might not mean anything, Sir. Their rotations could be completely different to ours. For all we know, their suns set in the north and rise in the south!_

He let out a long sigh as he observed the vast fields in his vision. He hadn't paid much attention to the mission briefing before they gated out, but he knew the planet they were on was just a little bit bigger than Earth. It was a lot of ground to cover.

For a second, if possible, his heart sank a little lower at the thought of leaving the planet while Sam was missing – even if it was to send of UAVs to scour the place. He shook his head. He needed to stop thinking like this. Teal'c was right; Sam was just as clever as she was resourceful. She would probably find them quicker than they'd find her.

 _You're damn right I would... Sir._

Jack let out a scoff and scratched the back of his head. Sam would have happily given him a hard time if he knew he was thinking about how he was going to rescue her. He ran the memory of their first meeting through his head and smirked.

Teal'c _was_ right, she's a big girl, she'd be okay.

Then again, having a back-up plan was never a bad thing.

A stone rattled against another behind him and Jack spun around, his weapon raised.

"It's only me, Jack." Daniel had his hands up in surrender and he spoke softly.

Jack nodded and lowered his weapon a fraction. They both stood in silence, only the quiet chatter from Glic in the ruins keeping them company. Daniel, ever the pacifist, broke their silence first.

"Look Jack-"

"I don't want to hear it, Daniel."

Daniel groaned with frustration. "Do you have to be such an ass?!"

Jack rolled his eyes. "I meant you don't need to apologise. I do."

"I try to fix this and you just- What?"

Jack completely lowered his weapon and ran a hand through his short silvering hair. "I didn't mean what I said. I know you're Carter's friend."

Daniel nodded. "Of course." he said slowly. "And I'm yours, too."

Jack nodded back. "I know."

"Well, good."

Jack nodded again. "Glad we cleared that up."

Daniel sighed. "Jack, I just want you to know. I really do know how much you care about Sam. As terrible as this is for her, it's got to be pretty hard on you, too."

"I'm her commanding officer and she's my second. I'm supposed to keep her safe."

Daniel shook his head and took a step closer to Jack. "I'm not talking to the Colonel about his Major right now. I'm talking to my good friend Jack about someone he cares about."

"Careful, Daniel." warned Jack, a hard glint in his eye.

"Teal'c and I, we're not blind. There is an incredibly strong bond between the two of you. You care about her a lot and she cares about you. Jack, I've seen the way you look at her when she's talking about science and I've seen the way she smiles at your jokes. I know because you're both in the military things are... hard for you."

"Ruining her career is not an option to me. She's worked too hard, she doesn't deserve that." Even Daniel heard the masked sadness in his voice.

"I know that, but I am just saying we've never mentioned it before, even when we've been asked, and we never will. You need to trust us, Jack. We have your backs."

"Danny, that's enough." said Jack gruffly. He placed a hand on Daniel's shoulder, feeling nothing but warmth for the archaeologist next to him. "I appreciate it, but that's enough."

"I just want you to be happy, Jack."

"I'll be happy as soon as I get off of this rock, with Carter in tow. Speaking of, have you found anything yet?"

Daniel's eyes lit up, even in the dark, Jack could see the excitement in them.

oOoOoOoOo

Sam groaned softly as slowly became awake. The first thing she was aware of was that she was lying face down. She turned her head so she was resting on her temple. She slowly blinked her eyes open and saw that she was above the ground; she trailed her fingers from near her face down to her ribs, feeling the material she was lying on. It was soft and smelt like a mixture of moss and flowers.

She gave a small smile as it reminded her of the Nox. She suddenly felt a little more at ease making that connection, maybe this was another Nox world. The light would have made sense.

She pulled her arms back up to how they had been, mindful of her injuries. Perhaps she wasn't with the Nox, they would have healed her injuries. She looked around and saw that the ground looked like freshly turned Earth, though it was dry.

Her eyes took in candles dotted around her room and once more, she made a comparison. It looked like the prison Hadante she and the rest of SG1 had been stranded in when they met Linea. From this information, she surmised that she could be underground, her room was in the hollowed out roots of a tree.

She exhaled sharply as she worked up the strength to push herself up. It was then she realised that she was no longer tied up, though there were ligature marks on her wrists from when Prionn had her tied to the post. Sam forgot her mission to push herself up for a moment. She obviously wasn't doing well if she had only just realised she no longer had rope around her wrists.

Sam closed her eyes for a second, not just to rest while she could, but to catalogue her injuries. Potential broken ribs, slight concussion, her back was in shreds, bruising and burns from the rope around her wrists and she was sure her face was bruised, judging from the way it ached. Oh and a split lip. "Still, not the worst shape I've been in." she muttered to herself. She decided she was able enough to at least put up a bit of a fight if needed.

She opened her eyes once more. She lifted her leg to brush against her ankle and she choked back a sob of relief as she felt the reassuring bulk of Jack's SIG still in place. A newfound confidence surged through her battered body. She could escape and find SG1 again. She _could_ do it.

This in mind, she took in a deep breath and counted to three in her head before she pushed herself up. Once she had sat up, her legs dangling over the side of her bed, she remained still. She waited to the pain in her ribs and her back to ebb a little as she planned her next move.

The door was the most obvious choice. Well, the doorway, there was not a door keeping her in her room. Sam weighed up her choices before deciding on checking the doorway first. If the way was crowded, she would retreat into her room and brave the climb up the roots to what she hoped was the surface. Now she was sitting up, she could see a small patch of dark indigo littered with stars.

There was no doubt in her mind now; she _was_ going to do this.

She pushed herself off of the bed, a light sheet falling from her, exposing her. If this had happened under any other circumstance, Sam would have fashioned herself something to cover herself, but now, she was desperate enough not to care. She wanted to go home.

She walked slowly towards the door, ignoring the wave of nausea washing over her and the headache to accompany it. Sam reached the doorway and leant heavily on the roots. She breathed hard, trying to catch her breath before poking her head past the doorway.

Sam smiled to herself. It was empty. This was _too_ easy.

Before setting off, she held her breath as she reached down to her ankle to pull out the gun. She bit her lip to repress her groans as she stood upright. Tucking the weapon in the waistband of her pants, she began moving along the corridor.

Her fingers trailed along the roots. She took in as much of her surroundings as she could, trying to ignore the pain in her head. The corridor was littered with candles, burning brightly, lighting the way. She moved slowly and quietly until she came to another room.

It was bright and wide, fireflies bumbled around in the air above her head. The room was as big as the gate room back on Earth and just as tall. There were cushions scattered over the floor along with wooden cups and bowls. There was also what she assumed was the equivalent of fruit on a table in the middle.

It struck Sam quite quickly that someone lived here. That the Olc lived here.

Sam shook her head and carried on going. She crossed the room and moved towards the largest of the tunnels, as it seemed the most likely way out. Once she reached the side, she rest against the roots for a second to catch her breath.

Sam began to press on, when a rush of wind brushed through her hair. Sam felt the elation she was feeling earlier dissipate as her memory reminded her of what came after she felt the wind on her skin while she was tied to the post.

She reached around slowly and pulled the gun out from behind her. Sam took off the safety and pointed it in front of her. She was not going back without a fight. Not this time.

The dark figure that had stunned and frightened her earlier appeared. Its eyes still white and still soulless. Its dry, rasping breaths seemed louder, amplified by the closed space it was in.

"Get out of my way." snarled Sam.

The Olc's head tilted to the side. "You want to go back." The Olc's voice made Sam feel like a bucket of icy water had been thrown over her.

"Yes, I'm not staying here."

"The men have forsaken you." the Olc wheezed.

"Not my men." defended Sam harshly. "They're already looking for me."

The Olc glided closer and Sam's trigger finger twitched. "You are not of this world."

"No and I won't hesitate to shoot you. Get. Out. Of. My. Way."

"I cannot allow this to happen."

The Olc raised its hand and Sam fired the gun until the clip was empty. She breathed deeply and barely bit back a whimper when the Olc appeared undamaged. The Olc looked away as it shrouded her with light.

oOoOoOoOo

Not for the first time that evening, Jack ran his hands over his face. "Right, just explain it to me one more time."

Daniel and Glic shared a look.

"Jack, please try and pay attention this time." begged Daniel.

Glic smiled. "These ruins hold many answers, Jack. The writings on the wall talk of the time when Thogail was Queen."

"This is significant to your people." put in Teal'c, observing the man with great interest.

"Yes! These walls talk about what life was like before Thogail was taken by the glowing eyed intruders. It talks of women in court, working with men on farms and even when women were soldiers." Glic turned to look at the walls, utterly mesmerised. "This is incredible, it was always my word, but now it is here, as fact! We can show this to the King, he will have to consider this. The way we live now will thrive no longer!"

Jack felt his temper rise. "That's great Glic, but how does that help Carter?"

Daniel stepped in. "There is a column of writing here." Daniel ran his finger over the etchings in the wall. "It says that Thogail was great friends with Danu and through their friendship, all prospered."

"Is she not the woman who came from the river to rid the Saorsans of the Goa'uld?" asked Teal'c.

"Yes, Thogail used to come to the ruins to seek counsel with Danu. You said it yourself, Glic, she's a protector of your people. It all fits, Jack." said Daniel. "I've been racking my brains and Danu is a Celtic Goddess back on Earth. She's known as the Mother, the Protector, Goddess of the Natural World. She gives support and counsel, she doesn't impose her will on the people with her powers, she sees the Saorsans as her children."

"Great, but how does this help Carter, Daniel?"

"Thogail found Danu to help her, as other monarchs did before. If we can find Danu, maybe she'll help us find Sam!"

"And how will we achieve this?" asked Teal'c.

Daniel's eyes were flushed with excitement and a sense of victory. "These ruins were a temple, the writings say that the temple was made especially for Danu, so the people could connect with her. I bet if we translate more of these markings-"

"We will discover the way to find Danu." finished Glic.

"Okay, this sounds great." began Jack, rubbing his face again. "I just have a few points. One, who's to say that Danu is still here? Teal'c said that she left because of the way Thogail's kid was. Two, who's to say that she'll even help us? You said it yourself, she doesn't impose her powers on others. And three, Carter might not have a lot of time left, we need to think about her too."

"Jack-"

"Look, Daniel, you asked to see the ruins, we did that. Unless there is a one hundred percent chance that this will work, we need to get back to the town. We can use what we found out here to turn the people against Prionn. We need that kind of manpower if we want to find Carter."

Teal'c bowed his head. "I am inclined to agree with O'Neill. Major Carter may not have the time you need to finish with the translations."

Daniel deflated. "Fine, fine, but please, just fifteen more minutes."

Jack considered Daniel a moment. He looked at Glic and Bhean before sighing. "You have ten and then we need to go." Daniel fist pumped and patted Jack on the arm before picking up his book and moving to a new piece of wall. Glic pulled out a scroll from his bag and pressed it against the wall before rubbing a dark chalk over it to replicate the scripts. Teal'c bowed his head and moved to help Daniel by holding the torch for him.

Bhean looked at Jack before crossing the floor to meet him. "Jack."

"How you doing, Bhean?"

"This is incredible. This will change everything." she said, eyeing the walls. "Prionn was wrong."

"What do you mean?"

"Prionn is one of the few men that can read. He lied about the words on the walls, but once the King sees them, he can expose Prionn for the man he really is." Bhean smiled. "All of the times I come here, Prionn said that the writings spoke about the fates of women once the Olc came and how people like me are better off as we are. This whole time, he was wrong!"

Bhean smiled brightly at Jack before crossing back over to Glic to help him with his tracings.

Jack afforded Bhean's retreating form a small smile. He had to hand it to Prionn, he was smart. He was one of the few who really knew what the ruins said. Jack doubted the Rìgh ever made the journey to the ruins to see for himself. Prionn kept the same people with them, and if they were the same calibre as Blár, he doubted they knew the truth either.

Jack smirked as he considered a new best case scenario. This would cripple Prionn's word once Rìgh read it. Glic would only back it up with his scrolls and then their society would change – without the bloodshed he anticipated.

Bottom line, Prionn was done. Now, he just needed to figure out what to do about Sam.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Well, it's been a while... settling back into normality has taken its toll and a lot of my free time. But, my holiday was amazing, so it's all good!

Thank you so much for your reviews and visits to my story. I envision another 5 chapters, maybe, but I'll let you know when we're coming to the end.

Prionn is a bit of a douche in this. Trigger warning for a non-con scene –take care of yourselves, please feel free to skip past the first bit should you need to!

Shout out to dpdp, Yol, Wiggiesmom, marcyfoote and houghtam for sharing their thoughts and theories! I rather like the Asgard angle! It has a very Asgardian feel, doesn't it?

As always, mistakes are mine. Enjoy!

Recap: _Jack afforded Bhean's retreating form a small smile. He had to hand it to Prionn, he was smart. He was one of the few who really knew what the ruins said. Jack doubted the Rìgh ever made the journey to the ruins to see for himself. Prionn kept the same people with them, and if they were the same calibre as Blár, he doubted they knew the truth either._

 _Jack smirked as he considered a new best case scenario. This would cripple Prionn's word once Rìgh read it. Glic would only back it up with his scrolls and then their society would change – without the bloodshed he anticipated._

 _Bottom line, Prionn was done. Now, he just needed to figure out what to do about Sam._

 **Chapter 15**

Prionn smirked as the woman beneath him moaned. He didn't care if it was with pleasure or not and he had a good inkling that it was not because she was enjoying herself.

He exhaled sharply as he found his release inside her before he pulled away from her. The prince watched her with an amused expression as he righted his clothing. She lay still, a single tear sliding down her cheek.

"Out." he commanded, turning away from her to pick up his goblet. As he rose it to meet his lips, a knock on his door sounded before swinging open with a creak.

"My Prince?"

"Come in." he said, chuckling as the woman on his bed scrambled to find her tunic to cover herself. The soldier stepped in and regarded the unclothed woman on Prionn's bed with a sneer before bowing. "What is it?"

"My Prince, I need you to come with me."

Prionn scoffed before picking at the fruit on his table. He threw a piece in the air and caught it in his mouth. The sound of his chewing filled the silence as the half clothed woman left. "Is it important? I have things to do."

"It is. I would not request your presence otherwise."

Prionn rolled his eyes and set the goblet on the table. "For your sake, this had better be good."

oOoOoOoOo

Ceann walked through the corridors of the castle with haste. He was a well built man, his years of training to be a soldier enabled him to carry all of his tasks with great strength. However, travelling as quickly as he could wearing the armour he had was draining.

He moved to turn the corner when voices that did not belong to his men made him wait.

"Prionn will hang whoever did this."

"Certainly. Banaphri must have something to do with this. Prionn is no fool."

"It is about time he dealt with his sister."

Footsteps trailed away, leaving Ceann alone in the silent corridor. He turned on his heel, forgot about his fatigue and ran as quickly as his armour would allow. He descended a set of stairs and ran straight to Banaphri's room.

He slowed down before he reached the door and extended a hand to knock. He opened the door and was met with the sight of Banaphri frowning at a book.

Ceann stepped in and closed the door softly behind him. "What are you reading?"

Banaphri looked at him, mildly surprised, before chuckling softly. "I am not sure. The markings make little sense to me. The pictures, however, are very telling."

Ceann smiled at Banaphri and moved to stand next to her. "Where did you get it?"

"My father brought it to me. Do you understand this?"

The sandy haired soldier nodded before crouching as best he could. "I do and if it were a different night, I would read it to you."

"I think I would prefer learning to read it myself." retorted the princess with a knowing smile.

"And one day, if you allow me, I would be delighted to show you how to read. However, it will not be tonight."

Banaphri regarded Ceann with a perplexed look as she closed the book and hid it under a cabinet. "Something has upset you."

"I am not upset."

"Well, then something is concerning you." huffed Banaphri.

Ceann bowed his head. "Forgive me. We need to leave now."

Banaphri shook her head. "Mother told me-"

"Banaphri, Prionn's soldiers have discovered Blár. It is only a matter of moments before they tell him. They think it has something to do with you and I do not want to consider what Prionn will do when he hears that. We need to leave here now."

Banaphri's blood ran cold. She stood up and reached for her cloak. Once she had fastened it, she retrieved her satchel and began to put items in it. "Where are we going?"

"I have somewhere I can take you, but we need to go now. Do not trouble yourself with packing."

Banaphri shook her head before bending down to collect the book under the cabinet. She put it into her bag before sealing it. "What about my Mother?"

"I will raise the alert and have your Mother brought to you." said Ceann hastily as he ushered Banaphri out of her room. He closed the door behind them and he led the way along the dimly lit corridor. He paused at corners to check who was there before allowing Banaphri to follow him.

"What about my Father?"

"Forgive me, Princess, but now is not the time." said Ceann, holding out an arm to stop her from walking. A hurried set of footsteps rushed towards them and Ceann placed a hand on his sword, ready to draw it.

"That is not a soldier, Ceann." whispered Banaphri.

A figure rounded the corner and before they could scream, Ceann closed his hand over their mouth and held them against the wall. Banaphri rest a hand on his forearm, silently telling him to let his captive go.

"Cahra." Banaphri acknowledged softly. She took in her ripped tunic and her split lip. She didn't need to guess where she was running from.

The woman looked at Banaphri and Ceann. "Prionn ordered me to his room."

Ceann looked at Banaphri with a wary expression before turning his attention back to Cahra. "What did you hear?"

"A soldier arrived and requested that Prionn accompany him. He seemed afraid."

Banaphri placed a comforting, yet commanding, hand on Cahra's shoulder. "Cahra, you need to find a place to hide. Leave the castle if you need to. If you see any other women on your way, tell them to run too."

With a whimper, Cahra nodded. She returned the hand on the shoulder and left them, her bangles clinking as she ran. Banaphri looked at Ceann and allowed him to steer her onwards. They kept moving until they reached the kitchens.

Banaphri stopped as she entered the room full of familiar smells. "I cannot stay here!"

"Wait." said Ceann shortly. He moved through the kitchen, Banaphri following close behind him when they reached a stack of barrels. He pulled Banaphri behind the barrels and bent down. He used a knife, stowed away in his boot, and dug the grit away from a brick in the floor. Once the grit was removed, he lifted the stone to reveal a large, brass handle. He pulled at it and a door opened from the ground.

"I had no idea-"

"No-one but my men know about this. We were not just down here for food, you know." He propped the door against a barrel and looked at Banaphri. "Prionn will not find you in there. You need to get in quickly."

Banaphri moved towards the hole in the floor and was relieved to see that there was a wooden ladder connecting the kitchen floor to the floor beneath the door. She turned and began to descend when she regarded Ceann with a forlorn expression. "What of Jack and the others?"

Ceann crouched so he was eye level with the princess. "This was originally somewhere to store goods, but it is long forgotten by the kitchen workers. I found it again when my father told me about it. With my most trusted, we worked in here when we could. We dug a tunnel, it leads to the underground wasteline in the square. Once there you can decide whether to brave the top and come out at the square or you can remain underground and follow the wasteline to get you out of the settlement."

Banaphri shook her head. "That must have taken you forever. Why?"

"We liked getting out without passing the _other_ soldiers in the town. It is useful for if we ever have a siege."

"We have never had a siege, Ceann."

"I think that will change tonight." said Ceann, he cupped Banaphri's face. "I will do what I can about your Mother. Wait for now, but if you hear fighting of any kind, you need to start running. Do you understand?"

"I want to fight with you."

Ceann shook his head. "Not this time, my Princess. It is better if you do as I have bid. Once you reach the other end, you may find Jack and his friends, think of that."

Banaphri nodded and began lowering herself down.

"I will need to close this door, there are many candles down there. Have you found them?"

Using what little light she had, Banaphri located the candles and lit one. "Yes."

"I wish you well, Princess. I hope to see you well when the suns rise."

Banaphri swallowed the lump that had settled in her throat. "I hope to see you well also."

At that, the trapdoor was closed, leaving Banaphri in the dark, save for a candle flickering lightly in her hand. She bent down and collected more candles and put them into her satchel. She hesitated before moving away from the door above her. Sighing heavily, she leant against the rock of the wall, before sliding down it. She set her candle in the dirt before drawing her knees to her chest. With a final sigh, her resolve broke and she began to quietly cry.

oOoOoOoOo

Prionn stood in front of an open door, his face blank. He could feel white hot rage coursing through his veins as he took in the sight of Blár crumpled in the storage cupboard.

"When did you discover this?" he barked.

"On my rounds, my Prince. I noticed the blood under the door and opened it. I found another soldier before I came to you." reported the soldier, nervousness lacing his words.

"I want my worthless baga of a sister brought to the great hall at once, along with my Father and his baga. Bring Jack and his friends too. Now!" he roared. Six of the eight soldiers with him sprang into action, the remaining two looked at him with uncertainty.

"See to it that my soldiers are ready for addressing in the great hall, also." He spat over his shoulder, venom dripping with every syllable. "They are going to pay for this."

Both soldiers moved when Prionn called one back.

"My Prince?"

"The dawn is upon us and the Olc is no more until the next full moon. Take three other men and drag every vile creature of being from their beds to the square. I will address them all once the third sun has breached the horizon."

Prionn listened to the last soldier's steps die away, his eyes not moving from Blár's lifeless body. He took a step closer to survey the state his second in command was in. With that, he snarled and turned on his heel, intent on revenge and finally taking what was rightfully his.

oOoOoOoOo

Jack paused as he waited for Bhean to catch up to their party. He took in her haggard appearance and felt the familiar tug of guilt pull at his belly. She must have been exhausted. He held out his hand and she took it gratefully, allowing him to pull her up the last bit of the hill.

"Thank you." she mumbled.

"Don't worry about it. Here." He offered his canteen and for the second time that night, she took it with a nod of thanks and lifted it to her lips. "You okay?"

"I think I will be fine once I rest."

"I hear ya, but it's not likely we'll be able to do that right now, you understand that, right?"

"Yes." said Bhean with a small smile. She handed back the canteen and once she handed it back, her smile faltered. "Oh no."

Jack frowned with confusion for a split second until he realised what the problem was. "Teal'c?"

"Yes O'Neill?"

"The suns have started coming up."

Daniel pulled his glasses off of his face and rubbed his eyes. "What are we going to do? They'll know we've been out."

"Um, I do not think that will be a problem." said Glic with uncertainty. He was at the top of the hill, his eyes on the settlement. SG1 and Bhean reached him and saw why he answered the way he did.

Even from their distance, they could see the soldiers entering homes and pulling people out of them. What was worse was the screams of people as they did.

Glic paled and let his head fall into his hands. "It is happening again."

Bhean took a step closer, her heart beating wildly in her chest. "Banaphri..."

oOoOoOoOo

Banaphri shivered as she sat in the underground cellar. She pulled her cloak tighter to her body in an effort to conserve a little heat. The candle had melted half way and she let out a melancholy sigh.

She had not heard any fighting yet, but she could feel the time slipping away from her. If she was going to be a part of their new world, ready to lead, she needed to move. With a whimper, she stood, ignoring the pins and needles from where she had sat so long shooting through her legs. She picked up the candle and spared a glance towards the unmoving trapdoor.

Making her mind up, she began to walk.

She walked about three feet when she heard a creak. Banaphri froze where she stood for a second before turning towards the ladder. She watched a shadow descend the ladder, the door closing before the shadow reached the bottom.

The princess held her breath, waiting for the shadow to speak. She let out a sob when it finally did.

"Banaphri?"


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Sassy Sam is sassy! ^.^ This is the chapter you have waited for – the identity of the Olc. Let me know if you were right!

Just a word of warning, pretty graphic, totally Game of Thrones style near the end. You will be able to sense what is happening before it does and if that is not something you would like to read, please feel free to stop.

Thank you so much to my regular reviewers, Marcyfoote, dpdp, houghtam, Wiggiesmom and Yol. I am sorry I haven't replied yet, I will!

As always, mistakes are mine. Enjoy!

Recap: _Making her mind up, she began to walk._

 _She walked about three feet when she heard a creak. Banaphri froze where she stood for a second before turning towards the ladder. She watched a shadow descend the ladder, the door closing before the shadow reached the bottom._

 _The princess held her breath, waiting for the shadow to speak. She let out a sob when it finally did._

" _Banaphri?"_

 **Chapter 16**

Sam jolted herself awake. Her head was pounding and she still felt sick. Still, she forced herself up, hissing as she did so. Her ribs were still giving her grief, but what upset her more was that she no longer had a working weapon. Jack's SIG rest on the floor near the foot of the bed, Sam figured the Olc wasn't worried about it as the Olc was apparently bullet proof.

She reached up to rub the back of her head as she planned her next move. "Right, the front door didn't work-"

"Climbing the roots will not be effective either." rasped the Olc as it glided into Sam's room.

Sam felt goosebumps erupt over her skin. She backed up on her bed against the wall and immediately regretted it as the rough wall of roots dug into her back. "God!"

The Olc observed her. "Why are you so insistent to leave?"

"Because I don't want you to kill me." Sam's eyes widened in alarm as the Olc bent over, a series of shrieks and rattles escaping it. Initially Sam though it was choking, but she quickly realised that it was, in fact, laughing. Shock and panic disappeared and in its place, Sam felt anger. "You think that's funny?"

The Olc straightened itself before the bright light it used to knock her out, engulfed it. Sam closed her eyes as the light shone. Once the light dimmed, Sam opened her eyes. Where the Olc stood previously, a tall woman had taken its place. Her hair fell freely, red curls travelled down her body, stopping at the small of her back. Her eyes mirrored the same hue as Sam's and her heart shaped face carried wisdom and a smile.

"Uh..."

"Do you think I am to kill you now?" she asked, her sapphire eyes sparkling with amusement.

Sam remained silent. "Are you a Goa'uld?"

The woman chuckled softly. "You tell me, child."

Slightly offended at being called a child, Sam raised her eyebrows. She felt nothing. "You're not Goa'uld."

"No, they have not been here for a long time."

Sam frowned. "How would you know?"

"My dear, I was the one who got rid of them."

oOoOoOoOo

Daniel quickly jogged over to where Jack was crouched by a tree. He observed the colonel looking through his telescope. "Jack, what are we going to do?"

"Hang on, Daniel." said Jack quietly, moving his head as he took in what was happening. The soldiers were pulling women from their homes and leaving them sobbing on the street floors. Those who lived at the bottom of the settlement were ambling wearily along the paths. Jack squinted and moved his line of sight up to the square outside the castle walls and felt his stomach drop as he saw soldiers surrounding the empty stage where Sam had been.

"Jack?"

"Carter's gone." he muttered.

"What else do you see O'Neill?" asked Teal'c. As good as his eyesight was, he couldn't see what was happening in as much detail as the silver haired man next to him.

"There are soldiers crawling all over the place. The people are walking towards the square where Carter was."

"Something has gone wrong." observed Teal'c, standing up.

"Yeah."

"Prionn must have discovered what we were planning." said Bhean. Jack could hear the panic in her voice, though she tried to hide it.

"Bhean, I can't see Banaphri or Bhanrí, they could still be alright." he offered. "Still, we need to get to that square, the feeling I'm getting isn't a good one, if you know what I mean."

"Do we have a plan?" asked Daniel. "I mean, we can't just storm over there."

"Indeed."

"Glic, you have those scrolls from the ruins?" asked Jack, his eyes still on the town.

"Yes. We should deliver them."

"Right, here's what we're going to do. We're going to get to the square once we're there. Daniel, you take Bhean and Glic into the castle, find Rìgh and show him those scrolls. Teal'c, you and I will find Prionn and _make_ him listen." The other four in the party nodded and followed Jack down the hill.

Sticking to the shadows being cast from the sunrise hitting the surrounding hills, they managed to approach the entrance to the settlement with little difficulty. Jack peered in and he saw barrels stacked up next to a small bakery.

With as much stealth as he could muster, he kept low and made his way over to hide behind them. Once he was sure it was safe, he beckoned the others to follow. Bhean, Glic, Daniel and then Teal'c made it safely to the hiding space.

"We all good?" When sounds of the affirmative reached his ears, he peered around the corner again. The streets were empty, though he could hear the hubbub of people gathered further up the town. "The roads are empty, but we should still use the buildings as cover. Teal'c, watch our six."

oOoOoOoOo

After learning about how Ceann had swept her mother away with the permission of the king, Banaphri and Bhanrí made their way through the tunnels. They walked close together, hands intertwined as Banaphri held the candle to light the way.

They mostly stayed silent, both of them replaying the night's events in their heads. The two had been walking for what seemed like years, when Banaphri squeezed her mother's hand excitedly.

"I can see the light at the end of the tunnel."

"Excellent." said Bhanrí, the smile evident in her voice.

Banaphri sighed. "Mother, did Ceann tell you about the different paths?" she asked, lowering the candle slightly as the light got a little brighter.

"Yes, we can either come out, underneath the square, or we can follow the tunnel further until we are out of the settlement." answered the Queen before sighing in disgust as she stepped into a puddle.

The women stopped walking as Ceann's directions became more clear. To the left of them, there was a small steam trickling out of the tunnel, no wider than Banaphri's foot. In the distance, there was a small ladder leaning against the wall. To the right, the stream got wider and the path progressively darker as it led away from the square.

Bhanrí squeezed her daughter's hand. "What is to be your decision?"

Banaphri shook her head. "If we follow the wasteline, we will be out of the settlement and we will both be safe until this ordeal is over."

"Yes."

The princess looked at her mother. "I do not think the people would look too kindly towards me if I hid while Prionn kills them. I wish to fight alongside them."

If Bhanrí looked shocked, she didn't show it. "I understand."

"But if we come out and are seen, then the plan is doomed to fail before it begins. We would have tried for nothing."

"Banaphri, the dawn has only just arrived. We could climb out and find somewhere to hide before Prionn even discovers we are gone. We would still be within the settlement and we could show ourselves when the time is right."

The younger woman contemplated her mother's words for a moment before making up her mind. "We will go to the square."

"Then lead the way, child."

oOoOoOoOo

Jack, Teal'c, Daniel, Bhean and Glic quickly gained upon the square unspotted, though Jack still let out a small sigh of relief as they hid before two soldiers walked past. "We all good? Great." With that, he crouched down.

They had found another bakery to hide next to. There were barrels and sacks dotted around, almost forming a small cove for them to hide in. Teal'c remained the closest to the square, his hearing far superior to anyone else's in the party and would give them a few precious seconds extra of a warning if anyone hostile came too close.

"They've all gathered around the stage." muttered Daniel, using one of the barrels' holes to peer through.

Jack pulled out his telescope and took in the sight before him. "There's soldiers forming a blockade to keep the people close by and there's a couple in front of the stage."

"Well, that can't be good." commented Daniel, regarding Jack with a worried frown. "There aren't many of them though. We could take them."

"It would be unwise, the soldiers would be able to use the people of Saorsa as human shields." observed Teal'c.

Jack nodded. "Glic, Bhean, what's going on?"

Bhean stuttered, looking at Glic. "I do not know. I have never seen this before."

"The people usually go about their business when all three suns are in the sky. This is most unusual and I fear that it is not for a good reason." replied the scholar, clutching his bag close.

"Hang on." said Daniel. "There are more guards joining the square."

Jack peered into his telescope and saw Prionn leading four soldiers towards the square. His stomach dropped when he realised that the four soldiers were escorting Rìgh. "Damn."

"What?"

"Prionn's got Rìgh." reported Jack.

Daniel pulled his face away from the barrel. "Jack, what are we going to do?! We can't just sit here!"

Bhean clutched at Jack's sleeve. "We must do something!"

Jack nodded, "Thoughts, T?"

Teal'c remained silent, his eyes fixed on the square. He tilted his head, as if to check to see if his eyes were deceiving him. "O'Neill."

"All ears."

"I believe both Bhanrí and Banaphri are underneath the stage in the square."

oOoOoOoOo

Prionn walked onto the stage, taking in the sight of the sleepy residents of the settlement. He looked to the sky and saw that two of the suns were fully risen and that the third had just left the horizon. "I bid you a good morning, my fellow Saorsans!"

The people, though half asleep, cheered for their prince. "Fair morning to you!"

"Another moon has come and gone; the Olc has taken the golden haired witch for her crimes against our way of life, and our way, is safe once more! Let this be a lesson to those of you who fool yourselves with the thoughts that she had. I implore you bagas to know your place, or you will meet the same fate as Carter."

The men of the crowd cheered again, some of them pulled at the women around them. Prionn smirked. "Of course, I fear that the threat of the Olc is no longer enough to convince you to behave as you should."

Silence descended over the people as they looked on in confusion.

"I want it known, here and now, that I will not tolerate treasonous actions against me, my crown and our way of life. I told you the spirits showed me with the crown upon my head and I have now figured out what needs to be done in order for this to become a reality."

Two soldiers stepped aside to reveal Rìgh, standing tall and proud, the jewels in his crown glinting in the sunlight. A cacophony of shocked gasps, from both men and women, rippled through the crowd; so much so that the soldiers raised their weapons slightly to quiet them.

"I am tired of being the son of the 'Weak King', the king who treats bagas like they are men. He tries to hide his ways, but they are as obvious as the third sun in the sky." Prionn turned to address his father. "You are too soft, you have become a mere shadow and I, along with my people, have outgrown you and your ridiculous ways."

Prionn clicked his fingers and watched as two soldiers forced Rìgh to his knees. From another soldier, he pulled a sword and held it by his side. Feeling growing unrest from the people, he turned to them.

"I will say this now and I shall say it only once. _Any_ man found guilty of treason will meet the same fate as this fool." He turned to his father. "Is there any _wisdom_ you wish to part with?" he sneered.

Rìgh looked at the crowd. He could see the horror on near enough all faces in the crowd. A glint caught his eye and he could just make out the silver of Jack's hair in the far distance. His heart swelled as he realised that he had accepted his part in the change for the right reasons. His people would be free, he was just sorry he would not be around to see it.

He shook his head slowly, before looking at Prionn. "You have lost them."

"What?" Prionn snarled.

"They are not _your_ people."At that, Rìgh lowered his head and closed his eyes.

As Prionn lifted the sword above his head, cries and shouts from the crowd sounded, pleading him to stop.

A roar ripped from his throat and he brought the sword down. It hit the wood with a thud and the crowd erupted into screams and protest. Prionn bent down and plucked the bloodied crown from his father and put it on top of his head.

"Hear me!"

The soldiers stepped forward and raised their weapons higher, stilling the emotional crowd.

"I want his head on a spike." he ordered, watching a soldier bow before doing his bidding. "My mother and sister have disappeared; I want them brought to me. They are traitors! As for the visitors, I want them dead. Show me how loyal you are by bringing them to me. If you are not prepared to do as your king says, you will be guilty of treason - Any traitor found guilty will join my father and any baga found guilty will be burnt – perhaps if you are lucky, I will give you to the Olc instead."


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: Here is the latest instalment. We have a bit of the Saorsan's history here and why Danu chose to become the Olc.

Thank you so much for the reviews so far! I can't believe how many hits this story has so far! Incredible!

As ever, mistakes are mine. I hope you enjoy it!

Recap: _A roar ripped from his throat and he brought the sword down. It hit the wood with a thud and the crowd erupted into screams and protest. Prionn bent down and plucked the bloodied crown from his father and put it on top of his head._

" _Hear me!"_

 _The soldiers stepped forward and raised their weapons higher, stilling the emotional crowd._

" _I want his head on a spike." he ordered, watching a soldier bow before doing his bidding. "My mother and sister have disappeared, I want them brought to me. They are traitors! As for the visitors, I want them dead. Show me how loyal you are by bringing them to me. If you are not prepared to do as your king says, you will be guilty of treason - Any traitor found guilty will join my father and any baga found guilty will be burnt – perhaps if you are lucky, I will give you to the Olc instead."_

 **Chapter 17**

Jack stood, frozen in place as he took in what had just happened. Bhean let out a scream before clasping her hands over her mouth, she got up from her position and moved away from their hiding place, ignoring Daniel's attempts to catch her. Glic turned pale and buried his head in his hands, prayers of a foreign language escaping his lips. Teal'c's hold on his staff weapon tightened as his jaw set – if he wasn't baying for Prionn's blood, he certainly was now.

"We need to move." said Jack. The cries and protests from the Saorsans to the west of them almost drowning him out.

"Jack." Daniel looked at him, a deep sadness in his eyes as he indicated to where Bhean was.

Jack nodded. "I know, but we still have to move. Teal'c, help Bhean."

Teal'c bowed his head and moved to wrap an arm around the sobbing woman to help her up. Bhean allowed Teal'c to pull her to her feet before she crashed onto his chest, her cries even louder.

Jack swallowed the lump that had presented itself in his throat before extending a hand to Glic. The older man looked at Jack's hand, before looking at Jack himself, his eyes glistening. Glic sniffed and accepted Jack's strength and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet.

"Prionn... h-he killed-"

"Bhean, I am so sorry but we can't do this right now." said Jack, after he cleared his throat.

Daniel's eyes widened. "Jack!"

"Daniel, our only decent bargaining chip has just been taken away!" growled Jack with a tone of warning in his voice. "And to top it off, Prionn's slapped a price on our heads. We aren't safe right now."

"We need to move." agreed Teal'c, bowing his head to Bhean. "Is there anywhere we can stay?"

Bhean bit back a sob, her bottom lip trembling. "I do not know of such a place."

Jack turned to Glic. "Anywhere. Anywhere not in the open."

"I cannot think-"

"Teal'c?"

"I am unsure, O'Neill." frowned Teal'c. He turned to look at the square and saw the soldiers begin to spread out, pushing and shoving the rest of the Saorsans out of the way. The soldiers began kicking in the wooden doors of the buildings closest to them, their weapons aimed. "We need to find cover immediately."

"Crap." Jack ran a hand through his hair. "Right Teal'c, I want you to take Daniel, Glic and Bhean to the gate. Tell Hammond they're refugees. Tell him what's happened and don't come back unless you have decent manpower with you."

Teal'c raised both of his eyebrows. "O'Neill."

"If I have to get out of the settlement and lay low in the tree line, I will, but I am not leaving this planet without Carter – or without fixing this." Jack raised his eyebrows as Daniel opened to reply when he heard Teal'c raising his staff weapon behind him. Jack pivoted and raised his P90 to see one of the Saorsans standing in front of Teal'c with his hands raised.

"If you wish to escape Prionn's soldiers, you should come with me."

oOoOoOoOo

Once Banaphri heard the sword slicing through the air, she reached for her mother. She felt her mother wince and raised a hand to cover her mouth as they heard a dull thunk above them.

They stood in silent horror as they processed what Prionn had done. The people's cries covered Bhanrí's screams as she registered what the thunk on the wooden panels above them was. Crimson rivulets fell on top of them as they filtered through the gaps of the stage above them.

Banaphri looked at her mother, red spots staining her ashen face. "We need to go – we must go along the wasteline. We can find another way into the settlement."

Bhanrí's strong resolve was gone and it haunted Banaphri to her core. Never before had she seen her normally stoic mother hysterical. Her body shook with unvoiced sobs. Her usually bright green eyes were flooded with tears and she was doing nothing to stop them from falling.

"Mother? Did you hear me?"

Bhanrí did not respond. She sank to her knees, falling into a pool of vermillion liquid. One of her arms wrapped tight around her waist and the other covering her mouth as she tried to hold back her cries.

In that moment, Banaphri felt her own heart break inside her, just like her mother's must have when they heard the sword come to a stop against the wooden block above them. Banaphri felt her own emotion bubble inside her, a mixture of anguish, sadness and hurt, but the one emotion she felt the most was anger. She was angry. She was angry at her brother; she was angry at the way he acted, the way he was and the fact that he had just broken their mother's heart.

"Never again." muttered Banaphri. She pulled at the bangles at her wrists, not stopping until they came off. Ignoring the pain in her wrists, she sat next to her mother and pulled the other set off of her ankles. She scooped them up and put them in her bag before wrapping her arms around her mother. "Never again will he hurt us this way."

A fire coursed through her belly and she revelled in its warmth. No longer was she the afraid, servant princess living in the shadow of her brother's tyrannical reign. No longer would she be the meek, obedient woman never to speak out against the injustice she witnessed. She would fight against her brother until her last breath and she would ensure her mother lived out the rest of her days as a free woman, that all women would live to be free.

"Mother, please listen to me." whispered Banaphri, her voice covered by the chaos above them. "He will not get away with this. He will pay for what he has done and I will enjoy taking the crown from his head. His last sight will be of me wearing it and freeing our people, but now, I need you."

Bhanrí looked at her daughter. "What do you need me to do?" Her voice cracked as she spoke.

"I need you to take your bangles off and give them to me. You no longer need them. From this moment, we are free. Once you have done that, we need to find Jack."

oOoOoOoOo

Once Sam learned of who the Olc really was, she relaxed a little and had allowed Danu to see to her wounds. Danu applied balms and salves to her injuries and in a matter of hours, her headache was gone, the pain of her ribs had dulled to a slight throb and the burns around her wrists from Prionn's rope had lessened to a slight pink. Her face however, had remained bruised and her lip still split.

Sam was currently lying on her front, Danu stood to her side above her, getting ready to apply a balm that she had developed to heal Sam's back. She made a mental note to get a sample – Danu had only applied it twice and her back was almost as good as new.

Sam winced as Danu applied a balm to her back, the coolness of it making her jump. "Wait, you got rid of the Goa'uld?"

Danu smiled at Sam. "Yes, they took the people as slaves. Once I understood what was happening, I acted as quickly as I could."

"Why didn't you help them before?" asked Sam, she bit her lip as she moved herself into a sitting position.

"You know, you really should rest. The balm will heal you." said Danu, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"You answer my question; I'll tell you why I'm in such a hurry to leave."

Danu raised a slender eyebrow. "Never in all of my years have I met such an insolent being." She wiped her hands on a cloth before smiling at Sam. "It is incredibly refreshing."

Sam watched as Danu sat on the edge of Sam's bed after she handed her a tunic. "I did not get involved right away as I was not sure how powerful they were. I have lived on this planet for as long as I can remember. I look after it. Many, many centuries ago, the Goa'uld brought a very primitive people here. I was much younger then, I was curious. I met the Goa'uld and I was wounded once they figured out what I could do."

"They fear whatever is stronger than them."

Danu nodded. "Yes, well, I learnt that lesson the hard way. They only wounded me, so I escaped them and created this place. It was hard for me, I have never had the need to hide on my own planet before. The Goa'uld came back and of course, they noticed my tree – they tried to burn it, to destroy it, but they found they could not, so they abandoned it."

"Just like that?"

Danu shrugged. "At this point, the Goa'uld believed themselves to be the most powerful race in the galaxy. They did not fear me any longer, in their eyes, I was dead. The Goa'uld left and the people began to flourish, but not without hardship first."

"That's when you began to help them?" asked Sam, her tunic now covering the top half of her body.

Danu reached over to tie up the laces to keep it together. "Yes, I knew I could not help them directly, so led a trail for them to follow and a set of instructions to find me. They knew me as Mother Nature, they thanked me for providing them water, for the weather for their harvest. I hated it, they began to worship me as if I were one of _them_. That is when I made the decision to only reveal myself to those who spoke on the behalf of others, as a guide. I met many wonderful kings and queens and for a while, the people were happy and prosperous."

"But the Goa'uld came back, didn't they?" asked Sam.

"Yes, they began choosing hosts and killing those that resisted or tried to stop them. I could no longer stand by once Thogail asked for my help, but by then, it was too late. They took Thogail and killed her husband. I did what little I could and it stopped the Goa'uld from coming back. The people mourned Thogail, they were lost. Her son Riag stepped up and took the crown, but he changed the way everything worked. He undid his mother's good work and while I believe he had good intentions, his reasoning and actions soon became malignant."

"That must have been hard to watch."

Danu looked at Sam, her cerulean eyes full of torment. "I met with him, I told him he no longer needed to fear the Goa'uld, that they were gone and would not be coming back. He disregarded my words and it got worse. He renamed his home to be Saorsa," Danu chuckled bitterly. "Ironic, really."

"Why?"

"In their language, Saorsa means freedom. He did it to show his people they were free, but in reality not all of them were. I began to see people, I appeared to them and planted the seeds of what life really was like before the Goa'uld came back."

"The first rebellion." said Sam, she grimaced as she leant over to rest a hand on Danu's. "It didn't end well."

"No, the people were not ready. A lot of them had become accustomed to their new way of life. So many of them died... I failed them as their protector and I failed them as their mother."

"You're not responsible for that. You tried to help."

"I should have helped earlier. If I did, Thogail would have still been alive and perhaps I would not have to become the Olc every full moon."

"You don't know that." scoffed Sam, "You couldn't know that. Who knows what could have happened along the line? Rìgh is different from the others, but he came from a long line of people like Riag. It could have easily gone the other way."

"Perhaps." said Danu, combing her fingers through her long locks. "Either way, I had to leave them. I could no longer watch what they were doing, but I figured out a way to protect some."

"You became the Olc."

"Yes, at first I stole women from the streets. Many men tried to stop me and a handful tried to sacrifice themselves, but I would only take the women. Riag eventually figured out that women were the target and he left them for me every full moon. It was both a blessing and a curse, I rescued women, but it was the last straw Riag needed to prove that women were less than the dirt they walked on."

"Is that why you won't help them now?"

"None of royal blood have tried to call me and I have said before, I will no longer involve myself in their ways."

"What if they were ready for your help this time?"

Danu peered at Sam. "How can you know that?"

Sam laughed, "Why do you think I was tied up to the pole? Prionn hated me from the moment he met me. I spoke to the Queen and his sister, Banaphri, they're both ready for change and Rìgh is too. My people are here, we can help. There are more people ready for freedom than there are people who want to keep the status quo."

Danu remained silent before she stood. "I cannot involve myself again. I do not want to see innocent people dying because they are not ready."

Sam's brow furrowed and she shook her head. "People are already dying – Prionn is oppressing them even more and-"

"Enough!" said Danu, the hint of the Olc's rasp in her voice. "I have made my choice. It is no longer something I can involve myself in."

At that, Danu swept out of the room, leaving Sam alone. Sam watched Danu's form disappear from view and she felt the angry prickle of tears in the corners of her eyes. She turned and kicked the bed. She sniffed and turned to look at the roots that she hoped led to the surface and made her way towards them.

"I am not going to stay here when I know there is something I can do." she said loudly, not caring if Danu heard her or not. With a shaky exhale, she began to climb the root.


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: And I'm on half terrrm! So excited! I've written a few chapters ahead and now I'm working on finishing the last two chapters! I can't believe this is almost over! It's definitely going to heat up a little bit now Prionn has commited patricide :/ but it'll be worth it!

Thank you to dpdp and houghtam who reviewed. Indy this is for you – words cannot express!

I hope you enjoy it, mistakes are mine!

Recap: _"Enough!" said Danu, the hint of the Olc's rasp in her voice. "I have made my choice. It is no longer something I can involve myself in."_

 _At that, Danu swept out of the room, leaving Sam alone. Sam watched Danu's form disappear from view and she felt the angry prickle of tears in the corners of her eyes. She turned and kicked the bed. She sniffed and turned to look at the roots that she hoped led to the surface and made her way towards them._

" _I am not going to stay here when I know there is something I can do." she said loudly, not caring if Danu heard her or not. With a shaky exhale, she began to climb the root._

 **Chapter 18**

Jack exhaled sharply as the door was closed behind him. He watched as the man that they encountered earlier moved quickly to the head of the group. The man beckoned them to follow him and after a second of silent conversation with Teal'c, they followed. The man led them to a trapdoor hidden underneath bags of flour.

"Get in." The man instructed once he had cleared the sacks and opened the door.

"How do we know we can trust you?" asked Daniel.

"You must. You cannot be captured by Prionn's forces and they will be here soon. Please, get in!"

Jack sighed and peered into the cellar before lowering himself in. He helped Glic, Bhean and Daniel down before moving out of the way for Teal'c. The door closed above them, plunging them into darkness.

"Well, this is great." muttered Jack. He heard a click and they were bathed in a low level of light as Daniel turned his torch on. "Really, Daniel?"

Daniel rolled his eyes. "How do we know we can trust him?"

"We don't." said Jack bluntly.

"It appears we do not have a choice." concurred Teal'c.

"Bhean, Glic, you know this guy?"

Glic shook his head, while Bhean looked at Jack thoughtfully. "I recognise him, but I do not know if that is a good thing or a bad thing."

"Okay, that's helpful." said Jack, though he held his P90 closer to his body, his finger on the trigger. Jack was about to speak when he looked above him. "Get behind those barrels, Danny turn it off." he hissed, moving to the barrels.

The light went off and Jack could hear the rustles of their clothes as they moved and crouched down. He turned to look at the trapdoor, it was illuminated with a small sliver of light from the bakery above. He could hear footsteps above him, the floorboards creaking as the bakery was raided by soldiers. He closed his eyes and strained his ears to try and hear what was being said, the floorboards must have been thick because all he could hear was muffled voices. He could hear the bangs of cupboard doors being opened and closed and his heart leapt into his mouth when some of the light creeping through the trapdoor was blocked.

Behind him, he heard someone take in a breath, as if to speak, when it was cut off by what he assumed was a hand. The soldier's voice sounded close, he was right on top of them.

" _You understand if you are found to be hiding the travellers, you will be executed for treason."_

" _You have just torn my bakery apart. You can see there is nothing here except my family and my tools."_

" _There is nowhere else for us to look? You have no other storage?"_

" _The king said no to me building more storage, though I have little need for it, my bread sells quickly."_

" _I am assured that you are not hiding the travellers. However, if you see them or if you know where they are hiding, you must report it or on your head be it."_

" _If I see them, I will seek out one of the king's soldiers."_

Heavy footsteps moved away from the trapdoor, letting the light filter back through and Jack let out his breath as his ears picked up the door to the bakery closing.

"Jack?"

"Keep the light off for a sec, Danny." he whispered. They sat silently in the darkness for what seemed like hours before they heard the sacks of flour being pulled across the floor above them. The trapdoor opened, flooding their hiding place with light. Jack looked up, squinting at the man above them.

"You can come out now, they have moved further up the settlement."

Jack nodded and beckoned the party behind him to come forward. Once they were all out of the cellar, Jack regarded the man with a suspicious look. "Who are you?"

"My name is Bruic, I am a baker for the king."

"Which king?" asked Teal'c, yet to lower his staff weapon.

"King Rìgh."

At that, they lowered their weapons. "Thanks." muttered Jack.

Bruic nodded. "Come upstairs with me, you can eat and rest and I will tell you what I know."

oOoOoOoOo

Banaphri peered through the cracks in the platform. She took in the soldiers marching around the square, breaking their way into homes to look for Jack and the others. Not for the first time, her heart thumped uncomfortably in her chest. She soon figured out it was because she was worried about Bhean. Hell, she was worried about everybody; Jack, Daniel, Teal'c and Sam. Poor Sam, Banaphri shuddered to think of what the Olc had done to her.

She turned to look at her mother to see her standing, ready to follow her through the square. She took in the dark stains on her mother's tunic and she was yet to get rid of the red splotches on her face. "Mother, the soldiers are moving away."

"That means we will be able to leave this place."

"Yes," Banaphri peered back out. "We need to find Jack, or Ceann." she added as an afterthought. "When you left the castle, who did you speak to?"

"Several people."

"Can they be trusted?"

"My child, I would not have spoken to them if I did not and we would most certainly not be standing here if they were not trustworthy."

Banaphri had the grace to look chastised. "So, who can we go to while we try to find Jack?"

"I have a place in mind, but we must be quick."

Banaphri looked at her mother again. After her reaction to losing her husband, she had allowed herself a few moments before becoming the beacon of strength and wisdom Banaphri had come to love and respect her for. She knew her mother had not finished mourning her father, but she knew she had a job to do and had pushed her grief to the side for now. It was a strength Banaphri admired her mother for.

"Will you lead the way?"

"Yes, come along." Bhanrí held out her hand and pulled Banaphri to her.

oOoOoOoOo

Sam revelled in the fresh air that met her lungs as she reached the surface. Being underground reminded her of the Tok'ra tunnels, or worse, when she believed she was Thera in the underground factory on P3R-118. She wasn't claustrophobic but being underground unsettled her and she was a lot happier on top of the ground. She squinted as the three suns burned brightly in the sky and Sam took a moment to bathe herself in a sunlight she didn't think she would see again.

She looked down to see that she was yet to climb down the tree and she swallowed a small lump of fear as her brain processed the pros and cons of being so far from the ground at light speed. She began to slowly make her way down the tree, careful to take her time. As great as being free was, she didn't want to limp to the settlement with another broken bone.

She had just reached the bottom when she saw Danu watching her with an amused expression. Sam rolled her eyes and let herself drop, landing on her feet with a thud. She righted herself and winced as her ribs throbbed from the sudden jolt. She glared at Danu, silently daring her to say something, before she turned on her heel to walk towards the settlement.

She felt Danu behind her and stopped walking when she glided across the ground to meet her side. "I'm not going back."

"You are most determined." commented the brunette, her long hair blowing behind her in the gentle breeze. "Why?"

"Because my team need me. I need to get to them, to help them. They could be in danger." said Sam pointedly.

Her stomach dropped as she registered the weight of her words. Of course they were in danger, Prionn took their weapons and had them escorted back to the castle. They had spent a night locked inside four walls with a psychopath. Then Sam froze, another thought running through her brain, like lightning. She vaguely remembered Prionn saying he would escort them to the Stargate. Perhaps she really should just wait here.

She looked up at the suns and saw that the third one was yet to meet the other two was yet to meet them at the highest point in the sky. It wasn't yet midday. They may still be on the planet.

"Has the Stargate been activated?"

Danu tilted her head. "Stargate?"

"Yes, the great, stone ring, uh, the Goa'uld call it a Chappa'ai."

"We call it Geata, it means gateway."

"Whatever, has it been used?" asked Sam impatiently.

"No. No-one has come this way since last night."

Sam looked at Danu. "Last night?"

"Yes, four men and a woman. One looked like a Jaffa, I was most intrigued to see him."

Sam suddenly found herself furious. "Why didn't you tell me? They are my team!"

Danu raised her eyebrows. "How could I tell you? I met them while I was on my way to you."

"What?"

"They were in a hurry. I have never seen people out at night during a full moon."

Sam felt a dead weight settle in her stomach. She had been clinging on to the hope that SG-1 were still this side of the stargate. She couldn't be angry with Jack; they were in a hostile situation and if there was a chance to escape and gate home, then he would have taken it. She felt a bitter taste in her mouth as she realised that they may have gone home without her – even if it was with the intention of getting reinforcements. She felt the sting of tears in her eyes and she turned away from Danu.

"They wouldn't... _he_ wouldn't." she said softly, scrunching her eyes shut to stop the tears from escaping.

"I sense you are sad." said Danu, she had moved to stand next to Sam and had rest a delicate hand on her shoulder.

"They wouldn't have left me." whispered Sam, wrapping her arms around herself.

"I have found men to willingly sacrifice a woman if it was advantageous to them."

Sam glared at Danu. "Not my men. If they left, it was for good reason, not because they were sacrificing me to save themselves. They aren't like the men here."

Danu shook her head. "No, they were not of this world. They tried to protect the woman with them, not that their weapons had any effect on me." She looked to the east, towards the temple ruins. "I believe they were on the way to the ruins. I do not think they left you here."

Danu looked at Sam. "I have been thinking about what you have said."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "About what?"

"About how the Saorsans are truly ready to live up to their namesake. Two of the people with your men were Saorsans – I recognised one of them. If they are prepared to leave the safety of their homes under the Olc moon to see the ruins, then I believe there is hope for a rebellion."

Sam's arms dropped to her sides. "So, you'll help?"

Danu exhaled slowly. "I believe the time is right, yes."

oOoOoOoOo

Jack sat on what looked to be a sofa and closed his eyes for a second, grateful for a safe moment to relax. He opened his eyes when he heard Bruic speaking to Bhean, they disappeared from the room they were in and Bruic came back alone.

Jack nodded towards the door. "Where's Bhean?"

"She asked to be alone, I showed her to my son's room."

"Jack, she's exhausted." said Daniel, rubbing his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. "We all are." Daniel settled on the floor underneath the window and eyed him warily.

"Please," said Bruic bowing his head as he deposited bread and a jug of water on the table. "Rest, you are safe here." He waved his hand at the table. "Help yourself, I know it is not much but it is better than nothing."

Teal'c tilted his head and settled himself on the floor. He crossed his legs and closed his eyes as he started his kelno'reem. Daniel took Jack's silence as a good sign and he tilted his head back and closed his eyes, his arms folded across his chest to keep warm.

Jack looked at Glic, who was watching what was happening in front of him anxiously. He was twisting the leather handle of his satchel nervously in his hands. "Glic, take a load off, okay? We're not going anywhere just yet."

Glic nodded and bowed his head. "Thank you." He moved over to the corner of the room and settled himself on the floor. He took off his satchel and used it as a pillow.

Jack looked at Bruic. "Why are you helping us?"

Bruic bowed his head and moved himself to sit on the sofa next to Jack. "Last night, I was preparing the dough for this morning, when I heard a knock on my door. At first, I was afraid. No good can come from a knock on your door in the middle of the night, especially during a full moon. I hoped whatever it was had gone away when I heard it again. I opened the door and saw the Queen. She asked to come in, so I let her. She told me about the rebellion and that you were going to the ruins. She asked me if I could help. Of course, I said yes. I spread the word to people I trusted and told them to do the same."

Jack smiled. "Good, that's really good, Bruic."

"A lot of people were scared at first, but they agreed." Bruic smiled back, but then his smile disappeared. "Now Prionn has killed the King, I believe even some of his own followers will help us."

"Yeah, you got that right." muttered Jack darkly.

"I knew it would be time, but because the Queen came, I knew the time was now. She was brave to leave the castle during a full moon."

"Yeah, she was."

Bruic smiled sadly. "King Rìgh was a good man. Those loyal to him knew it. He did not deserve to meet his end that way."

"No, he didn't, but something tells me he knew it would happen that way." said Jack softly.

Movement downstairs made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Jack stood, picking up his weapon as he did. Teal'c's eyes shot open and he reached for his staff weapon. Daniel sat up, pulling his gun from his waist.

"You expecting anyone?" whispered Jack, aiming at the door.

"No." breathed Bruic, panic on his face. "My wife and children are sleeping in the next room."

"Jack?"

"Not sure Danny, hold on."

They listened as they heard footsteps creeping up the stairs. Teal'c and Daniel aimed their weapons at the door and the whole room collectively held their breaths. The door opened with a creak and Jack let go of the breath he was holding.

"Jack!"

"How you doing Banaphri?" greeted Jack with a smile as he lowered his weapon.


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: Here is the latest instalment of the Tree of Freedom. I may have mentioned before that Prionn is getting more and more violent. Look after yourself if this is not for you!

But I promise we are going to see some badass teamwork from Teal'c and Jack – always worth a read!

Thank you to marcyfoote, dpdp, Indy and houghtam for reviewing! And a thank you to my anonymous guest too! I love reading your reviews and enjoy hearing your thoughts!

As always, mistakes are mine.

Recap: _Movement downstairs made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Jack stood, picking up his weapon as he did. Teal'c's eyes shot open and he reached for his staff weapon. Daniel sat up, pulling his gun from his waist._

" _You expecting anyone?" whispered Jack, aiming at the door._

" _No." breathed Bruic, panic on his face. "My wife and children are sleeping in the next room."_

" _Jack?"_

" _Not sure Danny, hold on."_

 _They listened as they heard footsteps creeping up the stairs. Teal'c and Daniel aimed their weapons at the door and the whole room collectively held their breaths. The door opened with a creak and Jack let go of the breath he was holding._

" _Jack!"_

" _How you doing Banaphri?" greeted Jack with a smile as he lowered his weapon._

 **Chapter 19**

"I thought you said you would help." said Sam as she hurried after Danu. After she had said she would help Sam, Danu turned and began to walk back to her tree.

"I must explain my absence to the women." said Danu quickly, not breaking her stride.

Sam sucked in a breath and ignored the growing pain in her ribs as she jogged to catch up to Danu. "So bring them with us. We could use the reinforcements – perhaps seeing the women he thought he sentenced to death will make Prionn stop."

Danu stopped walking and looked at Sam with a mixture of hesitance and disbelief. "These women are not as skilled in combat as you, Sam. If it is as bad as you say, they would be leaving their safe haven for death. I cannot allow that."

"Give them the choice. That's what you want for them, isn't it? A choice to choose their own course of action? They still have family they may want to fight for."

Danu regarded Sam with a thoughtful expression. "I want them to have the choice, but I do not wish for them to die."

"Are you sure you're not Asgardian?" asked Sam through gritted teeth as she fought to keep her temper at bay.

Danu chuckled. "No, I am not. I have met the Asgard, my race is a friend to theirs."

Sam rolled her eyes. "Give them the choice, do what you need to do, but I am leaving now. I can't wait anymore."

Danu frowned. "You are still injured. I can tell you are in a great deal of pain."

Sam shrugged. "My team would stop at nothing to do the same for me." At that, Sam nodded her head and turned on her heel. She began to walk away from Danu, ignoring her calls.

oOoOoOoOo

"Jack, it is good to see you well." said Banaphri, a smile on her face as she stepped aside to let her mother pass.

Jack's smile left his face when he took Bhanrí's appearance in. He held out his hand and steered the monarch to the sofa. He took in the stains on her clothes and the blood encrusted on her face.

"Is your mother injured?" asked Teal'c, his staff weapon now resting against the wall. He crossed the small room and crouched in front of the silent queen, swinging his pack from his shoulders as he did so.

"It is not her blood." replied Banaphri quietly.

The men turned to look at the princess, silence descending on the room as they took in the gravity of her words.

"Ah, hell." muttered Jack, taking off his cap and running a hand through his hair. Teal'c inclined his head slightly before pulling sanitary wipes from his pack and Daniel caught his face in his hands.

"Forgive me," Banaphri turned to look at Jack. "Where is Bhean?"

"This way, Princess, I can show you." said Bruic quietly, holding the door open for her.

The two disappeared and Jack crouched down in front of Bhanrí. "Bhanrí?"

The Queen blinked heavily before resting her eyes on Jack. "Jack..."

Jack rest a hand on hers. "I'm so sorry."

Bhanrí smiled as she shook her head. "You did not do this. Rìgh knew this would happen. He told me he had accepted it was the way it needed to be." Her face crumpled as she looked at her dirty hands. "I did not think it would be like this. I miss him."

"Look, Prionn won't get away with this." he said softly, watching as Teal'c allowed Daniel to take a wipe from him to clean the queen's face. "We'll make sure he atones for what he's done."

Bhanrí looked at Jack. "I know you will, but I believe my daughter will get there first." She sniffed. "Rìgh was a well loved king, the majority of our people believed in his ways, though they were afraid to voice it. Now, he is gone as he knew he needed to be. He had great intelligence."

"What do you mean?" asked Daniel.

"He knew that if he died in such a manner, Prionn would lose a lot of support. I heard the protests and the cries, Rìgh was a peaceful ruler and Prionn means to rule with bloodshed and fear. He longer has the support he relied on. Only a select few will run with him now."

Jack nodded. "He sacrificed himself for Banaphri."

Bhanrí nodded. "Yes, I believe he did. However, Prionn is no fool. He will soon discover that this is the case and I do not wish to see what unfolds when he does."

"It may be too late for that." Glic spoke quietly. Everyone turned to look at him to see him looking out the window. Jack moved from the floor to stand next to Glic and saw five soldiers making their way towards the bakery.

"Crap." He moved back and pulled Glic with him. "Teal'c. Five armed hostiles."

Teal'c stood and grabbed his staff weapon. "I am with you, O'Neill."

"Jack, we can get down to the cellar." said Daniel, a reassuring hand on Bhanrí as her face paled.

"No time. I will go out and meet them head on-"

"Jack, you heard that bastard, he'll kill you." interrupted Daniel.

"Maybe, but we can't let anything happen to the people if we can help it." said Jack, taking off his pack and leaving it next to Daniel.

Bruic, Bhean and Banaphri came into the room. "Jack!"

"Bruic, tell me you have a way out of here other than the front door."

Bruic nodded. "I have a passage that will take us out of the settlement."

Jack looked at Teal'c. "Teal'c, get them out of here and gate home. I'll buy you as much time as I can."

"O'Neill, the time they need to escape will double if I am with you." said Teal'c bowing his head.

"Teal'c! I'm ordering you to escort everyone to the gate."

Everyone looked at Teal'c and saw the conflict on his face. "I am with you, O'Neill." he said with a tone of finality that left no room for argument.

Jack rolled his eyes with annoyance before looking at Daniel. "Daniel, I need you to get these people out of here."

"What about Danu? If we find her, she can help us." said Bhean quietly.

Jack swallowed a growl of frustration. "Listen to me, you don't have time for that right now. If you are caught, you will be killed, do you understand?"

"What about Sam?!"

"Baker! Come down now!" A soldier shouted from outside.

"Danny, get them out of here." said Jack, leaving the room with his weapon drawn. Teal'c rest a hand on Daniel's shoulder before following Jack down the stairs.

Daniel exhaled shakily before looking at Bruic. "How do we get out of here?"

"Come." said Bruic hurriedly.

oOoOoOoOo

Jack rest his back on the doorframe, regarding Teal'c with an angry look. "How the hell did he know we were here?"

"Perhaps one of the Saorsans loyal to Prionn informed them of Bhanrí's and Banaphri's arrival."

They froze as they heard a mass of footsteps ambling down the stairs behind them. Jack looked over his shoulder and watched as Bruic led them further into the bakery towards what he hoped was their escape route.

"Teal'c, I want you to follow them."

"I will fight here, O'Neill."

"Dammit, does it say colonel anywhere on my uniform?!" he hissed.

"Baker, you have until the count of three to exit before we burn you alive."

Jack raised his eyebrows. "Jesus..."

He drew in a breath and nodded to Teal'c. "Here we go."

Jack wrenched the door open and ducked back behind the doorframe as the soldiers opened fire. Energy blasts from their weapons rained on the stone walls, shaking the building around them and covering them with dust.

They stopped firing and Jack wiped his face. "Do those weapons run out?"

"I do not believe so." said Teal'c.

"Yeah, ain't that peachy." Jack crouched at the door and opened fire, the sounds of his bullets hitting metal confirming that he was hitting his targets. Teal'c turned his weapon to rest on the doorframe and opened fire.

They heard men shouting for cover and screams as people ran away from the fire fight. The soldiers weapons began to fire once more and it wasn't until Teal'c stumbled back and dropped his weapon that Jack knew their time was up.

"Teal'c!"

He crawled across the floor, debris and dust covering him, as he pulled Teal'c away from the door. "T?"

A bone from Teal'c's bloody hand was protruding and there was a growing red stain on his thigh. "I am fine, O'Neill."

"Yeah, real fine."

"Come out, traveller!" shouted the soldier Jack assumed was in charge. The fact that they had now been identified as SG1 gave Jack a little courage, he knew that Prionn had ordered for them to be brought to them, so they would stay alive for now. He only hoped that it was for long enough that he and Teal'c could break free once his symbiote had healed him enough.

"Teal'c."

"My symbiote is beginning to heal me, though there is a great amount of damage."

"Good, you focus on that. Okay? I've got this." Jack moved to the door to address the soldiers. "I'm coming out now, no need to fire, Prince John wants me alive."

"O'Neill?"

"Join me when you can, alright?" said Jack, getting off of the floor and holding his hands up in surrender. He stepped through the doorway and was immediately greeted with a punch to the gut and two soldiers arresting him. "Sweet, real nice bedside manner you got there."

"Hold your tongue." ordered the soldier, his weapon trained on Jack's face. "Where are the others?"

"Not in there, they got out ages ago."

"There were two weapons firing at us."

"I'm ambidextrous, you see-" Another punch to the gut winded Jack, cutting him off. He watched in horror as three soldiers went into the bakery to search. He heard a groan and winced as they dragged a half conscious Teal'c from the bakery. They threw him at Jack's feet.

"Where are the others?" The soldier asked again. "The traitor princess and the baga queen were seen entering it."

"They're not in there." said Jack, flinching before he was punched again.

The soldier bent down to Jack's level. "Well, if there is no-one in there, you will not mind if I burn it." At that, he stood tall and nodded to his soldiers. The moved quickly, grabbing torches and lighting them.

"Wait!"

The soldiers threw the torches inside the bakery and within moments, Jack could feel the heat from the fire on his face as it grew and engulfed the bakery.

Jack watched in horror as flames spread throughout the bakery. He heard cries from the Saorsans around him, as devastating as it was, he was relieved to hear that they were cries of disbelief and anger, much like the cries he heard earlier as Rìgh was executed.

"The baker!"

"His children are in there!"

"You monsters!"

A soldier turned around and opened fire on the crowd that had gathered, as those at the front fell, the rest scattered, screaming as they ran for their lives, men and women alike.

The lead soldier sneered at Jack, feeding off of his anguish. "See, traveller, this is your fault. You are the one responsible for this." He hit Jack across the face with the butt of his weapon, making Jack slump forward.

"Yeah, totally, it's nothing to do with Prionn at all." Jack hissed through a clenched jaw.

The soldier screwed up his face. "We need to take them to the square, Prionn will be pleased to see them."

Jack groaned as he was all but dragged along the cobbled streets. As bad as he was feeling, he couldn't imagine how Teal'c was. Teal'c was near enough unconscious, Jack only hoped it was down to the fact he was attempting kelno'reem to try and get his symbiote to heal him quicker.

After what felt like an age, they finally reached the square. Jack let out a breath of dismay as he took in the platform. In the short time they had been hidden, Rìgh had been cleared away, though the dark crimson evidence of what had happened remained – that and the previous king's head was speared on a spike, so fresh it was still dripping.

Also on the platform was a large pyramid of wood, Jack could see kindling and logs on the floor next to it, along with tall, wooden posts erected on the stage.

"Do you like it?" asked the soldier, taking in Jack's face. "Our King is going to burn his kingdom clean of the ideas your blue eyed baga brought with her and from it, our kingdom will rise from the ashes better than before."

Jack grunted as he was dragged up the stairs. He was immediately tied to one of the posts, his hands behind his back and he watched with anger as Teal'c was afforded the same fate.

Once Jack and Teal'c were restrained, the soldiers jeered and laughed before stepping down from the platform.

"T?" called Jack, taking in Teal'c slumped form. The red stain on his thigh had grown and he was sure the stress of being tied up wasn't doing any good on his broken hand. "Teal'c, buddy?"

"I am... with you... O'Neill." he muttered, his head bobbing as he fought to remain conscious.

"Just hang on, alright?"

"Indeed."

Jack pulled at his restraints, growling as they refused to budge. He looked up into the square and saw Saorsans looking at him. "Hey, if any of you have a knife, now would be great time to let me know!"

Jack watched as they looked to one another, men pale with fear and the women hidden behind them. They were scared, they wanted a rebellion, yet they were scared. Jack deflated, he couldn't blame them.

"Look, it's not great right now. I totally get that, but you are all crazy if you think it's going to get better!"

"They will not help you." sounded a smug voice.

Jack turned his head to see Prionn with two soldiers by his side. He could hear the arrogance in his voice and without looking at the guy, Jack could hear the smirk in his words.

"Maybe they're waiting for the right time." countered Jack.

"What could they possibly be waiting for?" laughed Prionn, moving to stand in front of the colonel. "You? You are not available for such a half-attempt at a rebellion. Neither is your friend." he added, looking at the slumped over Jaffa. "Your golden haired baga is dead, so they will not be waiting for her."

"You don't know that." growled Jack.

"I have witnessed bagas being taken under the full moon for many years. One thing I have never seen is them coming back. What does that tell you?"

"That you're not as all-seeing as you think."

Prionn laughed. "I admire your humour. But that is all it is, Carter is dead, whether you like it or not. However, you will be reunited with your precious baga soon enough." he sneered.

Jack glared at him. "That's real smart, burning your little sacrifice stage. How are you going to scare your people now?"

Prionn chuckled. "I will build another." he said simply.

"Let me know how that goes, won't ya? Can't see it being very big if it's just you building it, 'cause after this, you'll have no-one."

Prionn's eyes lost their mirth and in its place, anger came forward. "My people will bow down to me, they will worship me and do as I say."

Jack smirked as he saw Prionn's control slip slightly. "Sure, as I said, let me know how that turns out."

Prionn scoffed and turned to his men.

"Gather the people here. I believe my little bonfire will start earlier than planned."

"My King, what of the other traveller?"

"If Daniel is smart, he is long gone. If not, I believe he will serve well as a companion for my late father."

At that, he stepped down from the platform and watched as soliders began pulling people to the square.

Jack's heart stopped and he found himself praying that Daniel had actually followed orders and escorted the others through the stargate. As he lowered his head to take in his fate, a glint in the distance caught his eye.

It was the suns reflecting off what appeared to be two circular pieces of glass.

"Crap."


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: Hi everyone, here's another update for you!

You may or may not have seen that I published another SG1 fic "Unspoken", but after a very interesting response I felt I needed to take it down... look for the new and improved version coming to you soon!

So, this is the chapter you've all kind of been waiting for! Let me know what you think!

Mega thanks to PhoenixQueenHeart who prompted me to crack on with it – what an awesome review!

A huge thank you and shout out to USNeshama, dpdp, Gabumon7 and houghtam. Also thank you to my guest reviewer – loved your review!

As always, mistakes are mine. Enjoy!

Recap: _"Gather the people here. I believe my little bonfire will start earlier than planned."_

" _My King, what of the other traveller?"_

" _If Daniel is smart, he is long gone. If not, I believe he will serve well as a companion for my late father."_

 _At that, he stepped down from the platform and watched as soliders began pulling people to the square._

 _Jack's heart stopped and he found himself praying that Daniel had actually followed orders and escorted the others through the stargate. As he lowered his head to take in his fate, a glint in the distance caught his eye._

 _It was the suns reflecting off what appeared to be two circular pieces of glass._

" _Crap."_

 **Chapter 20**

At Jack's orders, Daniel encouraged the others to follow him as he followed Bruic out of the bakery. Bruic calmly led them through the back door that looked over a stream running downhill – it took Daniel a moment to register just what the stream consisted of.

Bhean was the last through the door when he heard the beginnings of a fire fight and not for the first time, he praised Jack's timing, intentional or not. He looked at Bruic, who paled once the shooting started, Daniel registered that those shots were originally meant for the baker.

He patted the baker's shoulder. "It's alright. Jack and Teal'c are incredible warriors, they'll meet us when they can. Can you get us out of the settlement?"

Bruic nodded. "Yes, if we follow this wasteline, it will lead us out to the west. We will have to come back around to get to the Geata."

"Better than getting shot at. All right, lead the way Bruic, but take your time around corners, don't go until you know it's safe."

Bruic nodded and began to amble through the stream. The others followed silently, seemingly impervious to the fact that they were wading through excrement. They rounded several corners, almost on their hands and knees in an effort to not be seen. It wasn't until they saw a growing stream of smoke did they stop.

"Oh my..."

"I think that smoke is coming from the bakery." said Glic, squinting as he tried to focus his gaze on the source of the fire.

"Gods." muttered Bruic as he fell to his knees. All they could do was watch helplessly as the bakery burned in the distance. Bruic's wife rest a hand on his shoulder as his two boys sat next to him.

"Bruic, I am so sorry." said Bhanrí, placing a hand on his back.

"It was my grandfather's." he said, pain audibly lacing his words. "My father and brother joined the guard and he gifted it to me."

"Bruic, when this is over, I will personally see to your bakery being rebuilt." promised Banaphri as she crouched next to him.

"I thank you, your highness."

"I hope it was unoccupied." said Glic softly, a hand on Daniel's forearm.

"Oh God." exclaimed Daniel. "Jack and Teal'c."

Banaphri looked up at the architect and stood. "We must go back!"

"Jack's orders-"

"Daniel, I cannot flee Saorsa while my brother terrorises my people. I will not be responsible for more blood being spilt." said Banaphri steadily.

Daniel looked at her. How much a person could change in twenty four hours... Banaphri stood tall and with the same grace as Bhanrí and Rìgh, a true ruler. Daniel noted with a small smile that she no longer wore the bangles that symbolised her oppression.

"If we're caught, he'll kill us." reminded Daniel. "It'd be safer to get to the Stargate and bring back reinforcements. It's what Jack wants."

"I am making my choice. I will not be the ruler that deserted her people." said Banaphri stubbornly. "I implore you take the others with you, but I will not accompany you."

"I am with you, my child." said Bhanrí.

"As am I." replied Bhean.

"I will stand with you." nodded Bruic, getting back to his feet. "My brother has taught me enough skills with a blade that I may be of use."

Daniel looked at the people around him and smiled. "Now I know how Jack feels when we ignore his orders."

Glic nodded with a smile. "My fellow Saorsans, it is time to rid our people of the dark plague that has prohibited our growth for centuries. No more."

"What is our path?" asked Bhean, looking to Banaphri.

Banaphri looked at Daniel, uncertainty washing across her face before she turned to look at the smoke billowing above them like a heavy cloud. "We will go back the way we came, the smoke will cover us and the soldiers would not look there again. We would be safe to hide in the shadows of the buildings and we would be close enough to the square to see if Jack and Teal'c are there."

Daniel nodded his agreement, though a thousand questions flew through his mind. Before he could ask them, Banaphri had turned to walk back the way they had come. Bruic embraced his family quickly before directing them to a stable close to the entrance of the settlement where they could lay low. Once they were on their way, he followed the others back along the stream.

The trek back didn't seem as long as it had taken going the other way. They quickly came to Bruic's bakery and saw that it was in fact his bakery that had been burnt to the ground. Where a small but proud building full of generations of family history and laughter had stood – a shell remained. The strong oak beams that had held the bakery up were charred and burnt away to almost nothing. The floors and counters were blackened by the fire and smoke. There was nothing left.

Banaphri rest a small but comforting hand on Bruic's forearm before leading the party past it. They stuck to small alleys between the houses and eventually found themselves wedged between a pub and blacksmith. They crouched low and were able to see the entire square.

For a moment, Daniel was relieved to see Jack and Teal'c alive, but that relief soon turned to apprehension and fear once he took in the scene in front of him.

"Oh no." he breathed, as he peered over the top of some barrels.

"What is it, Daniel?" asked Banaphri, moving to kneel next to the archaeologist.

"Prionn's got Jack and Teal'c."

"Teal'c does not appear to be in good health, Daniel." commented Banaphri, her green eyes darting around the square as she registered the sights in front of her.

"No."

"I think Prionn intends on burning the stage." whispered Bhean, pointing her finger forward. Daniel followed her line of sight and saw that she was right.

He tensed when Prionn climbed onto the stage and watched him exchange words with Jack. "This is not good."

They watched in silence as Prionn made a gesture with his hand. Soldiers began pulling people closer to the square, filling the area with Saorsans.

"They are not happy to be there." commented Glic.

Daniel looked at Glic incredulously. "I wouldn't be either."

"Forgive me, I simply meant that those who cheered for Prionn last night no longer believe in his actions. There is heavy unrest, even if they are too afraid to act upon it."

"That appears to be true." said Banaphri, she turned to her mother. "Father predicted this."

"That he did, my child."

Banaphri turned back to the growing crowd, wincing as she heard a woman screaming. The soldiers had grabbed a woman, who was struggling in their grip with all her might, and were in the process of tying her to one of the poles in the middle of the platform.

"That is Cahra." whispered Bhean, pulling at Banaphri's sleeve.

"Who's Cahra?" asked Daniel, his eyes not leaving the platform.

"Cahra served in the castle. I bumped into her before Ceann helped me escape." said Banaphri sadly. "We cannot sit here and do nothing."

"My princess, forgive me, but there are still a number of Prionn's soldiers in the square. We cannot act yet." said Bruic, bowing his head regretfully as Banaphri rounded on him.

"We cannot allow Prionn to burn her!"

"No, but he's right." said Daniel, resting a hand on Banaphri's arm. "If we act now, we'll get caught and then this will be for nothing."

"But-"

"Believe me, I want to get up there as much as you do, but we can't right now. We need more help if we ever want a chance to stop him. We haven't got any weapons and there is a sea full of people who are afraid enough of Prionn to do as he says. You heard him yourself, Banaphri, no-one is safe; no man or woman."

Banaphri nodded reluctantly before looking at her mother again. "I understand."

"Prionn is back." said Bruic.

They all looked forward to see Prionn stepping onto the platform, a soldier behind him carrying a flaming torch.

"Fair day to you, my fellow Saorsans!"

"And to you!"

"I offer my congratulations to you! We have captured the travellers who poisoned our livelihood! As promised, I will show you what is means to be a traitor under my rule!" Prionn extended his arms out, as if presenting Jack and Teal'c to the crowd. "We have also captured a traitor baga – who tried to flee from her fate."

Daniel winced as Prionn walked over to her and slapped her across her face, splitting her lip.

"I want this to be a reminder to you all. If you betray me, our people, this will be your penance. Once this little display is over, a new stage will be built and not only will we sacrifice bagas to the Olc, we will burn any trace of rebellion from them too. You will no longer defy me!"

Prionn turned to Jack. "These travellers have brought nothing but death and destruction with them. They are an enemy to the people of Saorsa, they are an enemy of every man, child and baga. They bring notions that do not work for us and expect you to bend to their words. They are responsible for the fires that will forever burn." He leant in closer to Jack. "Is there any more wisdom you wish to part with?"

"Go to hell." spat Jack.

Prionn chuckled. "How apt." he said softly. He extended his arm and the soldier holding the torch gave it to him. "With this flame, I will cleanse our people. We will rebuild better than before and we will revere the rules of our society that make us better. Remember your place and you will not meet this fate!"

He raised the torch and brought it closer to a pile of kindling in between Jack and Teal'c. He lowered it and almost set it to the pile when a voice rang across the silence of the square.

"Stop!"

Every Saorsan turned to the source of the voice and a ripple of whispers flooded the square as they saw who the voice belonged to.

Prionn's eyes narrowed before he sneered. "Ah, the baga princess returns."

Prionn's soldiers raised their weapons as Banaphri stepped out from behind the barrels, ignoring Daniel and her mother trying to pull her back. "My King?" questioned a soldier.

"Let her have her moment, she will be dead quite soon." said Prionn, clearly amused.

"Prionn, enough!" Banaphri walked forward, silently grateful for the others as they followed her out.

"I applaud you luring Daniel to his fate. However, it is the same fate for you."

"You will not burn me or any more of our people. You have had possession of our father's crown for mere hours and already you rule with fear and evil. I will no longer stand for it." said Banaphri, her fists clenched at her side.

"You cannot stop me."

"Not by myself," agreed Banaphri, "but I can with my people behind me."

Prionn laughed. "What people? These peons you see before you belong to me. They would not follow the baga princess. What could you offer them?"

"Freedom." said Banaphri strongly. "The very name chosen for our people, a life we choose to live wholly."

Prionn laughed, encouraging his soldiers to do the same, but Daniel noticed it was a mere handful who did.

"I grow tired of this, I think I would prefer seeing you next to our father, but first, I have business to attend to." At that, he turned and lowered the torch to the pile between Jack and Teal'c.

"No!"

"Bring her to me." ordered Prionn, as he stepped back to watch the flames grow.

"Teal'c?!" called Jack, eyeing the growing flames warily. "Now's the time to show us some of that Jaffa strength!"

Prionn's soldiers began to move through the crowd, pushing people out of the way in an effort to capture Banaphri and the others. A soldier stretched out his hand to grab her when a flash of silver severed the hand from its arm.

"Princess." greeted Ceann, ignoring the cries from the soldier he had just maimed.

Banaphri watched as several other soldiers pulled out their swords and moved towards the ones advancing on their position.

"What are you doing?! You are loyal to me!" roared Prionn.

The civilian Saorsans moved away from the square, retreating to their homes. As they did, more soldiers appeared moving in to fight with Prionn's forces.

Ceann pushed Banaphri back towards Daniel. "You need to leave!" Ceann turned and saw Bruic and threw him the sword he had taken from the man he had stopped from taking Banaphri. "Brother."

"I am with you." said Bruic, raising his sword to go and stand next to Ceann as soldiers moved towards them.

Daniel pulled Banaphri back as a sword swiped towards her, missing her torso by mere inches. "We have to help Jack and Teal'c!"

"Daniel!" called Jack, trying to edge himself away from flames that had begun to flicker ever closer to him.

No sooner had they begun to advance on the platform, three of Prionn's soldiers rallied around the stairs and raised their swords.

Of all the missions he had been on, Daniel had never felt so helpless. He could hear Jack calling for him as the flames grew bigger and there was nothing he could do to help him.

"Jack!"

A deep rumbling sound shook the square, effectively stopping the fighting as soldiers on both sides stopped to see what was causing the sound. Daniel turned and squinted as his eyes tried to register what he was seeing. A large wave of water was cruising towards the settlement like a tsunami.

Daniel grabbed Banaphri's wrist as the water towered over them. Unlike a tsunami, the wave of water did not rush into them, instead it was directed by an unseen force, like a jet towards the fire on the platform. They all watched in awe as the flames were doused with a hiss as the water crashed onto the stage.

Jack, Teal'c and Cahra stood, unburnt and saturated as the water fell to the floor.

"What on Ear-"

"It's Danu!" called Bhean, watching as a form emerged from the smoke.

Daniel watched with bated breath as he began to recognise the form as the smoke cleared. His breath caught in his throat.

"You!" growled Prionn, pulling out his sword.

Jack shook the water from his face and followed Prionn's line of sight. His heart stopped as he registered the light of three suns caressing short, golden locks giving his would be saviour a halo. The woman stood tall, though with Jack's trained eyes, he could see she was in pain. Her face was marred with bruises, but he had never seen a sight so beautiful.

"Sam." he breathed.


	21. Chapter 21

A/N: Wow, oh, wow! Thank you for my reviews! It's the most I've had for a chapter yet!

Thank you to PhoenixQueenHeart, gabumon7, jacats, Indy, Wiggiesmom, Slivertongue, dpdp and houghtam. You guys are awesome! Thank you!

So, there was one of two ways this could have gone, regarding Prionn. I've written this one because I wanted to show how different his sibling is and how you don't need to be brutal to make a point... though I particularly enjoyed writing Sam in this one! I feel like it was a long time coming!

Also, Sam seems a little funny at the end, but it'll all be explained! So, bear with! (It is definitely not a segue for a bit of SJ in the next chap) XD

As always mistakes are mine! Please, enjoy!

Recap: _"It's Danu!" called Bhean, watching as a form emerged from the smoke._

 _Daniel watched with bated breath as he began to recognise the form as the smoke cleared. His breath caught in his throat._

" _You!" growled Prionn, pulling out his sword._

 _Jack shook the water from his face and followed Prionn's line of sight. His heart stopped as he registered the light of three suns caressing short, golden locks. The woman stood tall, though with Jack's trained eyes, he could see she was in pain. Her face was marred with bruises, but he had never seen a sight so beautiful._

" _Sam." he breathed._

 **Chapter 21**

The Saorsans slowly returned back to the square, curious about what had just unfolded. Whispers filled the air as those that recognised Sam shared with the others what had happened to her last night.

Prionn regarded Sam with a snarl before catching his people from the corner of his eye. They looked confused, but along with that confusion, they looked angry.

Banaphri regarded Sam with a pleasantly surprised look. "Carter!"

An angry buzz from the crowd slowly began to grow louder as their voices grew louder with every word they shared.

Ceann quickly moved to Banaphri and nudged her. "You must speak now! Prionn's lies have been exposed."

Banaphri nodded. "Fellow Saorsans, Carter was taken by the Olc under a full moon, her crime? Wanting a better life for all of us. The Olc has returned her, unharmed and alive. There has never been a time in our dark history where a woman has been returned. Now Carter is back, I know the Olc approves of our ideas and the Old disapproves of Prionn's. Prionn has been lying to you! The Olc will not steal you away for wanting a better life where all Saorsans are equal!"

The buzzing died down and in its place, murmurs of agreement echoed around the square.

"Silence baga!"

"What's the matter, Prionn?" asked Sam, a shit-eating grin on her face. "Things not going your way?"

"I should have killed you when you first disobeyed me!" growled Prionn, taking a step towards Sam.

"Drop your swords and help me rebuild Saorsa to be a better place! One filled with equality and understanding! Help me make our people better than before!"

Well over three quarters of Prionn's soldiers lowered their swords and shook the extended hands of Ceann's forces. The rest, no more than ten, eyed Banaphri with extreme distaste.

"Can you not see you are outnumbered?" called Ceann.

"Prionn can't guarantee your old ways!" cried Daniel. "Put your swords down!"

"Never!" called a soldier. Jack wasn't surprised to see it was the soldier that had set Bruic's bakery on fire. He sheathed his sword and pulled out his energy gun instead. He raised it towards Banaphri and fired. Ceann moved quickly and blocked Banaphri from the hit. He scrunched his eyes, expecting the pain that came with energy breaking through flesh, but it never came.

He opened his eyes to see Banaphri staring at him, her emerald eyes wide. He turned to look behind him to see that the burst of energy was halted a few centimetres away from Ceann's body.

A collective gasp swept through the square as the people registered a cloaked figure.

"The Olc!" screamed a woman. A surge of sheer panic was voiced as women scrambled to get away, but before they could a bright ethereal light engulfed the figure and the square. Once it died away, a woman stood, dressed in jade with a long black cloak touching the floor.

"Danu..." breathed Glic, bowing lowly.

Danu turned to regard him with a kind expression. "Glic, it has been a long time."

"Yes, my lady."

Danu turned to the people and took in their stares. Confusion, fear and curiosity reflected in their eyes as they regarded her presence. She smiled at them before looking at Sam.

Jack watched with a perplexed expression as Sam nodded to Danu with an encouraging smile. "Uh..."

"My dear children. It has been so long since you have looked upon me in this form. Fear me not."

"But you are the Olc! We just saw you!" cried someone from the crowd.

"It is true, I am the Olc. However, you were never in any danger with me."

"What of the women you have taken?" asked Banaphri nervously.

Danu bowed her head. "Of course." She closed her eyes and outstretched her hands in front of her, producing the same white light that concealed her transformation. The light covered the expanse of the settlement and when it was gone, around six hundred women appeared in the square between the ages of sixteen and fifty.

"I did take the women, yes, but it was to keep them safe. I am pleased to see that after today my services will no longer be needed." Danu spoke softly and with a smile as she watched the women she had saved return to their loved ones.

"You are Danu?" asked Banaphri.

"Yes child, I am and I will remain here with you to help you rebuild Saorsa to how it once was."

"It is not hers to rebuild!" roared Prionn. He swung his sword and despite trying to get out of his reach, the sword caught Sam on the thigh. She groaned and fell down on the stage, her hand clutching her leg as she tried to stem the blood flow.

Sam regarded Prionn with a hateful stare and steadily pushed herself up to stand tall, ignoring her body's aches and pains.

"You've lost, Prionn. Not even your soldiers are on your side."

"I can still kill you and I will enjoy every last moment of it, even if it the last thing I do!" Prionn raised the sword again and took another swipe at Sam.

This time, she was ready for it and she shuffled backwards. Once the sword hit the stage floor, Sam stepped forward and punched Prionn in the face. She pulled her fist back and was satisfied to see that she had broken his nose.

"You little baga!" He raised the sword again but Sam moved closer to land a kick to his torso with her injured leg. She groaned as the pain shot up her limb but it did the trick as Prionn, winded, dropped the sword.

She moved in again and landed another blow to his torso before punching him in the face again. He threw his own punches and she managed to block most of them until one caught her in the ribs.

She gasped and he seized the opportunity to tackle her from the platform.

They both fell onto the hard, cobbled ground and Prionn quickly righted himself to straddle Sam. He wrapped his hands around her delicate neck and began to squeeze.

"This is for stepping onto Saorsan soil. My time as king may be short, but I will be the one who goes down in history for squeezing the life from you."

Sam gasped, white spots dancing in her vision and she moved her hands to Prionn's face. She quickly found his eyes and applied pressure. Prionn howled and removed his hands from Sam's throat, allowing her to intake the oxygen she was deprived of. She gritted her teeth and pushed him with all the force she could muster. He fell from on top of her and she pushed herself to her feet.

She stood above him and curled her hands into fists, contemplating her next move when she caught a glimpse of Danu and Banaphri looking at her. She looked away before glaring at Prionn. "As much as I want to be the one that kills you, it's not my right." At that, she raised her foot and stomped on his groin before turning away and walking back towards the platform, his cries echoing around her.

The soldiers that had previously remained sided with Prionn lowered their weapons and kneeled for Banaphri. The rest of the Saorsan population lowered their heads to Banaphri and Danu's cerulean eyes shone with tears.

"You are their Queen now."

"Yes, I think so." muttered Banaphri.

Danu chuckled. "I know so. Come, we must deal with your brother first."

Banaphri regarded Prionn with a neutral expression. "He was never my brother, not really."

Sam climbed the steps slowly, her fight with Prionn had agitated all of her previous injuries and now she had more to add to the list. She reached Jack and kneeled to get the knife she knew he concealed in his boot. She silently cut the bonds at his feet before moving to cut the restraints at his wrists.

"I have to hand it to you, Carter."

"What's that, Sir?" asked Sam, as she cut him free.

"Your timing is impeccable."

oOoOoOoOo

Once Sam had freed Teal'c and Cahra, the crowd fell silent as they watchd Ceann and his brother Bruic, pull Prionn from the ground. The hate on his face had not lessened with his defeat, it had only grown. His eyes were narrowed as he took in the sight of the sudden influx of women, almost as if he was trying to burn them with his gaze.

Jack watched as Prionn trembled, he soon realised it was with rage, rather than fear or fatigue. That man thought he slaughtered countless of women, but now he was realising that the lives he thought he had ended had only flourished away from his reign.

Daniel moved to stand next to Teal'c, wrapping his arm around his shoulders in an effort to prop the larger man up. Teal'c had a light sheen of sweat on his forehead, a mixture of the heat from the fire that was to burn him alive and the effort of remaining upright after his injuries. His eyes were closed as he began his kelno'reem.

"Teal'c?"

"I am well, Daniel Jackson." muttered Teal'c, his eyes still closed.

Sam moved to stand next to Jack and kept her gaze on Danu. The goddess stepped through the crowd easily as they parted to make way for her. She used a finger to beckon Banaphri to follow her. The two walked gracefully to the stage and ascended the short few steps to stand on the platform. Danu bowed her head and with great difficulty, Bruic and Ceann pulled Prionn up the stairs, so he was once again on the platform.

The crowd grew closer, almost like a swarm as they tried to observe what was happening.

"People of Saorsa, no longer will you be ruled with hate. Prionn has commited unspeakable crimes against you. He has not led you with the nobility of his ancient ancestors. He has not encouraged you to grow or prosper, like his father before him and he has not led you with the same heart as his sister or mother. For this, he will be punished."

What started as an inquisitive buzz soon transformed to murmurs of agreement and cheers of joy.

"Burn him!"

"Take his head!"

Danu bowed her head and looked at Banaphri. "You are to be the Queen of these people. It is your decision."

Banaphri regarded Danu with a wide eyed expression: the weight of the decision and the growing noise of the crowd at her feet making it impossible to collect her thoughts. She looked at her mother, who returned a look of sympathy and sorrow. She turned to look at Sam, who wore a mask of indifference before finally looking at Danu once more.

"I am not a barbarian, like him." said Banaphri, her voice small but strong. "He does not deserve such an easy way out. True, he should suffer as we all have, but I do not think taking his life would be the most effective way."

Danu watched Banaphri with a smile, before looking at Sam. She had made the right decision to support Sam and help the Saorsans.

"I should decide what happens! It is my life!" growled Prionn.

Ceann rolled his eyes and increased the pressure on the hold he had on Prionn, making the tyrant lean forward with a groan.

"You have never given us a choice of what to do with our lives, so you will not receive one." retorted Banaphri angrily. She glanced at the crowd once more before drawing herself to her full height. "Prionn, you are hereby banished from Saorsa, to live alone with the knowledge that every Saorsan is free to choose whatever path they wish to walk. Every woman will learn to read and work. Every female will know what it is like to be free."

Danu bowed her head. "Prionn, your new home will be the third sun in the sky. Too far away to damage the good work your sister will do, but close enough so you will watch it progress every day until the day you draw your last breath."

At that, the crowd began to cheer. Danu spread her hands out in front of her and bright, glowing orbs materialised. She turned to Banaphri. "I will return for your coronation tonight." The light grew, making people turn away and shield their eyes. Once the light was gone, the people exclaimed as they saw that both Danu and Prionn were gone.

Banaphri looked at her mother, confusion on her features. She quickly righted herself when she felt thousands of eyes on her. "We need to work together to start our new life. We need to clean away all trace of Prionn and tonight, we will celebrate together. We are Saorsans and we are free!"

The applause that sounded deafened SG1. Banaphri took this opportunity to step down from the platform and greet SG1. Banaphri quickly enveloped Sam in a hug.

The men winced as they watched Sam clench her teeth, though she quickly returned the hug. Banaphri pulled away, her hands clutching Sam's shoulders.

"I cannot thank you enough, Carter."

"It was nothing, it's what we do."

"Well, I am glad you came here to do it. There will be a big celebration tonight. I want you to be my guest of honour."

Sam blinked, a small smile gracing her face before she schooled her features. "That sounds great, but I think we're overdue for a check in."

Banaphri's face fell slightly. "I understand."

Daniel frowned. "Well, I can walk back to the gate and dial Earth. We can let General Hammond know we're staying for the night and that we'll be back by morning."

Banaphri's face lit up. "I would love that. I can ask Ceann to walk with you and in the meantime, we can get our healers to see to your wounds. Please, Carter, it would mean a great deal to Saorsa if you and your team stayed."

Sam nodded her head before looking at Jack. "Sir?"

"Sure, love a party." Jack said with a weak smile. "Teal'c?"

"I will be well enough to attend, O'Neill. I can feel my symbiote healing me already."

Banaphri smiled. "Thank you." she bowed her head before leaving to find her mother.

Daniel smiled at Sam. "A party in your honour."

Sam nodded before sighing. "Yeah, looks like it." At that, she walked away from the team, following the cobbled path that led to the castle.

All three men watched her walk away with a slight limp. Jack frowned and could feel Daniel's eyes on him. "Yeah, yeah, I've got it." he said, before wrapping an arm around Teal'c and beginning to follow Sam. "Tell Hammond we'll be back in time for lunch tomorrow."


	22. Chapter 22

A/N: Here is the penultimate chapter. It is a little angsty, but here's part of the SJ reunion you wanted!

Sam may be a little emotional in this one, but as I have expressed before, I find Sam to be a very emotional character...and she's hurt and tired. I love Sam a lot but when she's like this, it's such good SJ bait... I confess!

I've already got ideas for a potential sequel... not sure how we feel about that?

Thank you to marcyfoote, dpdp, Indy and guest who reviewed! I look forward to hearing what you think...

As always, mistakes are mine. Enjoy!

Recap: _Sam nodded her head before looking at Jack. "Sir?"_

" _Sure, love a party." Jack said with a weak smile. "Teal'c?"_

" _I will be well enough to attend, O'Neill. I can feel my symbiote healing me already."_

 _Banaphri smiled. "Thank you." she bowed her head before leaving to find her mother._

 _Daniel smiled at Sam. "A party in your honour."_

 _Sam nodded before sighing. "Yeah, looks like it." At that, she walked away from the team, following the cobbled path that led to the castle._

 _All three men watched her walk away with a slight limp. Jack frowned and could feel Daniel's eyes on him. "Yeah, yeah, I've got it." he said, before wrapping an arm around Teal'c and beginning to follow Sam. "Tell Hammond we'll be back in time for lunch tomorrow."_

 **Chapter 22**

Once Jack made it back to the castle, he breathed a sigh of relief. He had quietly spoken to Teal'c on the way back, the Jaffa assuring the Colonel that he was alright. In fairness, Teal'c seemed to be walking a bit more by himself once they had reached his designated room.

He watched with a wince as Teal'c lowered himself gently to the bed and sat cross-legged in the middle of the mattress. There was a light sheen on his brow as the Jaffa settled himself.

"Can I get you anything? I have bandages in my pack." offered Jack, a concerned expression on his features.

"Candles, O'Neill. I wish to kelno'reem."

"Is that gonna fix your hand?" asked Jack wincing as he took in his mangled appendage.

"No, but it will help."

Jack nodded. "I'll find some candles but you got to let me dress it. You know, keep it clean until ol' Doc Fraiser has a look."

Teal'c bowed his head before closing his eyes. Jack hesitated a moment before leaving, he quickly bumped into one of the castle's caretakers who happily handed him over extra candles. Jack turned on his heel and walked the long corridor back to Teal'c's room. He paused outside of the room that he had been given as he noticed the door was slightly ajar. He peeked through and saw Sam standing in the middle of the room, her back to the door and her arm wrapped around her torso and she was staring out of the window.

He sighed, internally debating what to do before deciding on dealing with Teal'c first. That way he could prepare himself and Sam had time to do what she needed to do. He looked at the blonde, with an almost longing expression, before continuing the few steps down the corridor to Teal'c's room.

"Here, candles."

"Thank you, O'Neill." muttered the Jaffa, his eyes still closed.

Jack dotted them around the room and lit them for his injured team member before taking off his backpack to dig through it for bandages. With as much care as he could, he gently bandaged Teal'c's hand and with much persuasion, Teal'c allowed him to bandage his thigh.

"There, all done." said Jack softly.

"Thank you, O'Neill." replied Teal'c, his voice hard and tired sounding, like he was repressing the pain he was in.

"I've left some pain relief for you on your stand, if you need it."

With the last of his energy, Teal'c bowed his head. "I thank you, but I believe Major Carter will require it more."

A sharp jolt in his stomach at hearing _her_ name made Jack leave Teal'c in peace. He stepped out of the room and closed the door softly, before making his way to his room.

He stood outside, his hand raised as he went to knock on the oak door. He mentally kicked himself, why was he hesitating?! He had spent the better part of twentyfour hours scouring the planet searching for her, snapping at his teammates, imagining a thousand and one scenarios of her declining health and death and advocating war in an effort to get her back. And now he was too afraid to knock on the door?

He let out a breath and ran a hand through his hair before pushing the door open slowly.

It creaked loudly, filling the room with noise. Jack's heart thumped painfully in his chest, as Sam flinched at the sound and turned with speed to see where the noise had come from.

"Sir." she greeted with a croak.

Jack could visibly see her force herself to relax in his presence. She was still stood in the same spot he had seen her earlier. Her arm was still supporting her torso and her clothes were dirty, caked in dirt and blood.

"At ease, Carter." said Jack softly, his eyes on her as he reached behind him and closed the door.

Sam watched him move like a hawk, she could see him looking at her with a pitiful expression and she closed her eyes, willing her temper to stay in check. She didn't need that, not from him. "Sir, why are you here?"

Jack frowned. "I'm temping as a paramedic. I've bandaged up Teal'c-"

Sam turned to look at him. "Is he okay?" she asked softly, her hand resting on her chest. A bubble found its way to her throat as her stomach began to knot. Teal'c was hurt and it was all her fault. If she had kept her mouth shut, none of this would have happened. They would have been back under Cheyenne mountain eating subpar mess hall food.

"Yeah, Janet will need to have a look at his hand, but his leg is healing already. Go, Junior." said Jack carefully. He had seen the subtle shift in her body language and for a moment, he was confused. Then it hit him like a Goa'uld mothership, she was blaming herself. "Carter-"

"Is Daniel okay?" asked Sam, her heart rate increasing.

"Daniel's fine. I'm just-"

"And you?" Sam willed the bubble not to break. "You were set on fire."

Jack shook his head. "Look at me, I'm fine. I didn't get cremated, you put it out." Jack crossed the floor and moved to stand directly in Sam's line of vision. "Carter, what's going on?"

"Nothing." said Sam, looking at the floor, before moving to stand in front of the window. From the window, she could see the dark scorchmarks on the platform and the pyres that Prionn built were still standing. She could see buildings that had been decimated by the flames and she could see red splotches decorating the square, where people had fought and been killed.

All because she tallked about equality.

Sam felt her bottom lip wobble before she schooled her features as best as she could. She didn't regret helping the Saorsans, but she regretted the fear and hate that had spawned from that need to help. She regretted the death and danger she had brought to the people, all because she stood up to Prionn. How many people had died because of her? How many lives had she ruined?

Jack felt lost. He could see – hell, he could hear the war going on in Sam's head as she dissected the scene in front of her and she had only seen the end result of Prionn's campaign. He hadn't the heart to tell her of his version of events, but he desperately wanted to know hers. He couldn't imagine how she had felt alone in the darkness, waiting for an unknown entity to come for her.

"Carter-"

"With all due respect, Sir, I need you to leave." said Sam.

Jack closed his eyes as he heard the emotion in her voice. He could see her trembling, with what he assumed was fatigue and the effort it took for her not to break in front of him. He wanted nothing more than to envelope her in his arms and kiss her emotions away.

Jack bit the bullet and stepped forward. He reached out and placed a calloused hand on her shoulder. He saw her wince at the contact, but he kept his hand in place. "Sam, none of this is your fault."

At the use of her given name, Sam sniffed and turned to look at Jack. Her face, smudged with dirt and blood, did nothing to lessen Jack's heartbreak as he saw her cerulean eyes glassy with unshed tears.

"It is my fault." breathed Sam, a tear escaping. She reached up to brush it away, but Jack got there first.

"Sam, you didn't start those fires. You didn't order soldiers to terrorise the people and you didn't kill any of them, Prionn and his goons did. All you did was show the Saorsans a better life, a life that near enough all of the population wanted and now get to enjoy." said Jack softly, his hand cupping her face.

"Yes, Sir." muttered Sam, not meeting his eye.

Something in Jack's gut shouted at him. _This isn't the real issue._ Jack could see she was bothered about the whole mission, but something wasn't quite adding up. She was withdrawing from him where she had had no problem divulging to him before. "Sam, talk to me."

Sam pulled away from Jack's touch and she moved to lower herself to the bed. He watched as she pulled his pack closer to her, digging through it, searching for something. Jack immediately felt guilty, here he was trying to push her into talking and she had wounds that needed tending to.

He crossed the floor and pulled the pack from her. He reached in and began to pull out the equipment he needed. He had just pulled out the last bandage when a knock on the door sounded.

The door opened and Danu stood in the doorway, her face tight with worry. Her hand curled tightly around a bag. She observed the two for a moment before walking into the room. "I am here to heal you."

If Jack didn't know any better, he thought he saw Sam sag with relief. "Uh-"

"Sir, please?"

Jack looked at Sam for what felt like a millennia before he got up from the bed. "I'll leave you to it." He walked past Danu and out of the door before turning back. Jack looked at Sam. She looked exhausted. Lord alone knows what she had been through since she was taken from him. While Danu seemed friendly enough, he was sure Sam had still suffered, even if it wasn't at Danu's hand. Then it hit him.

She _had_ suffered and she was in the process of building walls and locking the whole ordeal away. It hurt him to know that she didn't want to talk to him about it, but he couldn't blame her. He had done nothing to try and stop it.

"Make sure she gets some sleep."

Danu nodded and Sam looked at Jack, studying the man in front of her and she felt her heart break a little. She knew this would happen, he blamed himself for what Prionn did.

"We'll talk later?" called Sam, quietly.

Jack deflated. "Yeah, definitely. Sleep well, Major. You've earnt it."

"Yes, Sir." came the tired reply.

Danu raised her hand, a slight gush of wind closed the door, leaving Jack alone in the corridor. Jack waited for a moment, hoping Sam changed her mind and would call for him. When she didn't, Jack sniffed and found himself walking away.

His mind swimming with the enigma that was Sam Carter.

oOoOoOoOo

As Daniel crossed back into the settlement, he could see a flurry of activity. He watched as people greeted each other like old friends and were organising furniture being moved. He felt like he had walked onto a completely different planet from the one he had experienced before.

"Incredible what twentyfour hours can do." he muttered with a smile as he weaved through the people milling around. He walked up the long hill and found himself being drawn to the library.

He climbed the stone steps and pushed the heavy door open. He blinked hard as he registered the sight before him. When he had visited the library earlier, there were countless shelves holding old scrolls and books. There was a singular working table, where Daniel assumed Glic had written endless scrolls. Now, the book shelves had been moved to sit flush against the wall and there were small desks in front of a large blackboard It was covered with grime and dust after spending centuries in storage, but Daniel was sure Glic would come around to cleaning it.

"Glic?" called Daniel.

"Ah, Daniel. How do you fair?" answered the scholar, as he appeared from behind a bookshelf.

"This place looks incredible!"

"Yes," Glic looked around with a proud smile on his face. "Danu had a hand in helping me organise it. It is to be a school, where I will educate a select few who, in good time, will educate others."

"You're going to teach some Saorsans to be teachers?"

"Even better, Daniel, to be scholars, so they can record history as it happens and teach future generations all about it." smiled Glic. "This is the Saorsa I have dreamed of for centuries."

Daniel smiled. "I'm glad to hear it. Those scrolls we copied at the temple will come in handy."

"Absolutely!" Glic bustled around Daniel, stacking books more neatly.

Daniel frowned. "Glic, is everything okay?"

"Yes Daniel, it is perfect. Everything is as it should be." smiled Glic, he stopped and looked at Daniel with tears in his eyes. "The great Danu and I have spoken, come next harvest, I will no longer be in Saorsa."

"You're going to die?"

"Yes."

Daniel looked at Glic, a confused smile on his face. "Is that what you want? Are you scared?"

"Daniel, I have lived long enough. I have been blessed enough to receive a little more time to right the wrongs that have been done. I have lived to see this joyous day and I have lived to see the darkest of centuries. I am content with the time I have been given. It is enough for me to set my affairs in order and for that, I am forever grateful." explained Glic.

Daniel nodded. "I understand."He looked around the library once more. "Do you need a hand?"

Glic smiled and handed Daniel a cloth. "Thank you, Daniel."

oOoOoOoOo

After walking away from Sam in his room, Jack found himself wandering aimlessly around the castle grounds. He soon busied himself helping some of the Saorsans clean the ground in preparations for the coronation. Jack was pleased to see that it wasn't just the women who had been asked to tend to the preparations, the men were there helping and speaking to the women as equals.

Jack smiled and his thoughts drifted to Sam. How could she not see that she had done something great? She had freed an entire people from terror and she had done so in an incredible way. He wished he could help her see that, though part of him thought she already could. She was hiding her emotions behind the events like a good soldier, but still, there was something telling him that there was more to her behaviour than it seemed.

It almost felt like she couldn't trust him.

The way she had acted when they were alone... He just couldn't shake it. He couldn't quite put his finger on what was bothering her and there was no way he could until she talked to him.

Jack was so lost in his thoughts, he didn't hear a set of footsteps approach him.

"Jack?"

Jack turned and was surprised to see Bhanrí looking at him, concern on her features. "Bhanrí, everything alright?"

Bhanrí smiled sadly. "This day is bittersweet, Jack. However, I will sleep easier this night, even if my bed is colder."

"I'm sorry we couldn't save Rìgh."

Bhanrí rest a hand on Jack's forearm. "As I said before, he knew it would end like this. He would be proud of our daughter and I know he will be forever grateful to you, Carter, Daniel and Teal'c."

Jack nodded. "I'm still sorry. It can't be easy... losing someone you love."

Bhanrí smiled again, only this time, it was a lot happier. "They often find a way back to us, some more obviously than others." The queen looked up at Sam's window. "I hope you cherish that."

Jack followed her line of sight. "I will."


	23. Chapter 23

A/N: Here is the last instalment of this little story. Thank you so much for your feedback over the duration of this fic, the response has been incredible. For now, I'm returning back to base with the team. Keep an eye out for our next adventure!

I hope you've all had lovely holidays!

A million and one thank yous to: marcyfoote, dpdp, jacats, PhoenixQueenHeart, Indy and Loverustal – your reviews have been tremendous. I hope this last one does you proud!

As always, mistakes are mine.

Recap: _Jack turned and was surprised to see Bhanrí looking at him, concern on her features. "Bhanrí, everything alright?"_

 _Bhanrí smiled sadly. "This day is bittersweet, Jack. However, I will sleep easier this night, even if my bed is colder."_

" _I'm sorry we couldn't save Rìgh."_

 _Bhanrí rest a hand on Jack's forearm. "As I said before, he knew it would end like this. He would be proud of our daughter and I know he will be forever grateful to you, Carter, Daniel and Teal'c."_

 _Jack nodded. "I'm still sorry. It can't be easy... losing someone you love."_

 _Bhanrí smiled again, only this time, it was a lot happier. "They often find a way back to us, some more obviously than others." The queen looked up at Sam's window. "I hope you cherish that."_

 _Jack followed her line of sight. "I will."_

 **Chapter 23**

The suns set quickly and before Jack could register what was going on, the castle grounds were heaving at the amount of people that had turned up to witness Banaphri's coronation. Men and women spoke to each other like equals and it was then Jack could truly see the severity of Prionn's ways. There was zero animosity between the men and women before him. Though, he suspected that Ceann's forces were partly responsible for that.

As a people, they had decided to bury the past with Banaphri's coronation. The last few that followed Prionn's ways were given a choice, get over it or be banished. Jack had to admit, he like Banaphri's style immensely.

He looked up from where he was stood to see Teal'c walking over to him. The Jaffa looked a lot better than what he did earlier, though he still walked with a slight limp.

"O'Neill." he greeted quietly as he stood next to the colonel.

"Hey T." replied Jack, not taking his eyes off of the people around him. "You look a lot better."

"My symbiote has healed me well enough."

"Good, I might need your help carrying Danny back to the gate with the amount he's drinking."

Teal'c followed Jack's line of sight and sure enough, Daniel held a tankard in his hand as he addressed those sitting around him with what was most likely one of SG-1's missions. The people around him were laughing and were focused on Daniel's words.

"And Major Carter?" asked Teal'c, turning to look at Jack. He didn't miss the uncomfortable look on his face as he registered Sam's title.

"Haven't seen her yet. She's probably resting, I don't know how with all this noise."

Teal'c bowed his head. "Is something the matter, O'Neill?"

"Teal'c," Jack ran a hand through his hair. "I can't. It's complicated."

Teal'c's eyebrow jerked. "It is only as complicated as you make it."

Jack turned and regarded the Jaffa with an incredulous look. "Been sharing tips with Daniel, huh?"

Teal'c's lips twitched and a small, half smile appeared on his features. "Perhaps. However, I would die before betraying you, O'Neill. That has not changed."

Jack reached over and patted the Jaffa quickly on the arm. "I know, T. I know."

The castle grounds went silent as the doors opened to reveal Banaphri, her mother, Bhean and Danu. As quickly as it went quiet, the crowd exploded into cheers as the doors closed behind the women. Banaphri looked uncomfortable as she took in the cheers, but Bhean had a supportive arm around her waist.

Danu raised a hand and the cheers died down. "Thank you, my children. Tonight marks the new birth of Saorsa, with the crowning of your new queen. Follow us as we involve all in this joyous occasion."

Danu descended the stairs and beckoned Banaphri to follow her. Jack smiled as she did so, men and women bowing as she passed before following them out of the castle gates. Jack and Teal'c waited, allowing the Saorsans to leave first before tagging along the end of the line.

At this point, Daniel had met up with Jack and Teal'c and was walking between them. "This is incredible, Jack." said Daniel, slurring the colonel's name.

Teal'c raised an eyebrow, while Jack reached over to take the tankard from the archaeologist. "Slow down Danny, or you won't remember it."

Daniel snorted but waved his hand in mock surrender. "This is amazing. Look how many people want to be here for Banaphri." he said, gesturing wildly at the people walking with them.

It was true. The last time Jack and the others had walked through the settlement, it was to attend Prionn's Olc festival. Everyone had been afraid and silent, but this was completely different. People were chatting animatedly, laughing at shared jokes and stories and if Jack turned his head just right, he could hear a soft melody being sung further up the pack.

They were some of the last to enter the square and Jack's eyes widened. The stage had disappeared and in its place was a temporary structure made of hay and barrels. The Saorsans had been busy decorating whatever they could with banners, displaying the royal sigil – a golden circle with a tree inside it. Lanterns and torches aflame were dotted around the square, giving the village a festive glow. There were tables and crates heaving with home-made treats and the Saorsan equivalent of ale. The air no longer smelled of smoke and fire, but of freshly cooked breads and something akin to cinnamon.

A flash of gold caught Jack's eye and he turned to see Sam leaning against a small fence. Her arms were crossed across her chest and she had a blank expression on her face. Jack frowned and was about to walk over to her when Danu raised her hands again.

"I have lived on this world longer than any Saorsan here before me. I have seen terrible things and I have seen great things. But I have seen nothing greater than this day. It is my honour and privilege to announce your new Queen." began Danu. She brought her hands in front of her and closed her eyes as her ethereal glow shone brightly. Once the glow dissipated, a silver crown appeared adorned with green and blue stones. Danu bowed before Banaphri, smiling as the young princess reciprocated. Danu stood tall and placed the crown gently upon Banaphri's head.

"I did not think I would see such a ruler in Saorsa again. You are a true descendant of Thogail, strong, smart, brave and full of heart. Saorsa is lucky to have you."

Banaphri looked up and smiled gently. "I thank you." Banaphri stood up straight and turned to face her people, smiling in earnest as they cheered and clapped for her. "Our people have won an incredible victory today, we all did our part and it was well worth it. However, I need to acknowledge the truth of this day." Banaphri scanned the crowd and very quickly, she found SG-1. "I will never be able to show you how thankful I am, how thankful my people are, for what you have helped us accomplish," she looked directly at Sam. "Before listening to you speak, I never thought it possible, but now I see it is. It is more than a fairytale, it is very real. Carter, we are eternally in your debt." At that, Banaphri bowed. Danu followed suit with a smile, along with Bhean, Bhanrí and Ceann.

Jack watched with a smile as all of the Saorsans bowed to Sam. The blonde stood at the edge, toying with the hem of her tunic, looking everywhere but at the people in front of her. Jack frowned but soon lost it when he realised that Sam was embarrassed. He chuckled, making her shoot a glare at him.

"As a people, we have a lot of work to do. Homes and livelihoods to rebuild, but for now, we will celebrate until all three suns are in the sky." announced Banaphri, inspiring more cheers. She stepped off of the makeshift stage and watched with a smile as people with instruments moved to take her place.

The air soon filled with music, laughter and chatter. Daniel found himself being pulled to the dancing area by Bhean, making Jack and Teal'c roll their eyes. Teal'c quickly excused himself before making his way to the table that held bread. Jack smirked and saw Sam still at the edge of the party.

He took a deep breath in and walked over to her. He stood nonchalantly next to her, his eyes on the festivities in front of him. "You okay?"

"Danu's medicine is very effective." commented Sam. A lesser man would take Sam's word for it, but Jack could still see pain in her eyes and he could tell she was standing in a way that protected her ribs.

"Sam."

Sam closed her eyes, to gather herself, before looking at Jack.

Jack sighed when he saw that she was only just about hanging on to the last shred of her barriers. He looked around, happy to see Daniel in the middle of a dance with Bhean and Teal'c conversing with Bruic. He looked at Sam again and extended an arm. "Want to go for a walk?"

Sam looked at his outstretched arm and nodded. She took his arm, grateful for support as they walked slowly down past the main part of the square, past several buildings and towards a beautifully lit path towards the lake that they had walked around only yesterday.

The volume of the music and people lessened as they ambled further away, until it was just their footsteps and their breathing keeping them company. The lake appeared to be glowing from the lanterns around it.

Sam was just beginning to relax when she felt Jack stop. She followed suit – hard not to when she was leaning on him for support. She watched him let go, only to see him settle himself on a bench. He patted the space next to him and supported her as she lowered herself to sit next to him.

They sat in a comfortable silence until Jack rest a hand on Sam's good thigh. "It's just us."

Sam looked at Jack's hand on her thigh. "I know."

"You gonna tell me what's going on in that brain of yours?"

Sam looked away, hot tears prickling in the corners of her eyes. She willed herself to steady her breathing as she felt herself get more upset. Jack waited patiently, he could hear – hell, he could feel the torment in her head. He moved his hand from her thigh to cup the back of her neck, his calloused thumb rubbing soothing patterns into her skin.

"I want you to know, Sam, none of this is your fault."

Sam snorted. "Isn't it?"

"No, it isn't." said Jack tiredly. "It was going to happen at some point. We were just here when it did."

"Sir-"

"I meant it. It is not your fault."

Sam moved away from Jack. "That's not it."

Jack frowned with confusion. "Sam, you have to help me out here. I'm not sure how to help you."

Sam looked up at the moon, before looking at Jack. "I don't-"

"Sam, if you're worried about this being on record. It doesn't need to be." Jack bit the bullet. "We can leave it in the room."

Sam's eyes widened. She looked at Jack for what felt like the longest time, before she looked away.

Jack flinched when she looked away, he thought he'd pushed a bit too far when his ears caught her voice, so quiet he nearly missed it.

"What?"

"I'm sorry."

"What are you sorry for? Hell, Sam, if anyone should be sorry, it should be me. I should have fought harder when Prionn took you. Hell, we should have turned around and gated home as soon as-"

"No."

Jack stared at her, wracking his brain to try and come up with a rational explanation for her behaviour. The woman has almost single handedly freed over half of a planet's population from oppression and she was sorry?

"What could you possibly be sorry for?!" asked Jack incredulously.

"When I was with Danu, she said that she had met a group of people overnight on their way to the gate." Sam sniffed and fiddled with the embroidery on her tunic. "I thought... I thought-"

It dawned on him like the three Saorsan suns.

"She told me and I didn't want to believe it, I didn't believe it, but for just one second-"

"You thought we left without you." said Jack softly.

Sam looked at him, her eyes glassy and wide. "I know you wouldn't. I know you would never. God, the amount of times you should have and you didn't... I should know better." Sam sniffed. She studied Jack's face closely and when he didn't speak, her face crumpled and she stood. She raised a hand to cover her mouth and she walked away, trying to hold back a sob that had rebelliously climbed its way to her throat. She made it all of three steps when she felt Jack's hand on her shoulder.

She stood still, waiting. His other hand grasped at her arm. She allowed him to turn her around slowly, ever mindful of her injuries and tilt her face to look at him.

"Samantha Carter. I would move mountains to find you. There is no way in hell I would have left you here."

"I'm sorry."

Jack shook his head. "Come here." He pulled her into a hug. His arms wrapped around her torso and her head resting on his chest. A hand buried itself in her short locks and for the first time all mission, Sam felt safe.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. Alright? Nothing."

"I shouldn't doubt you."

"You didn't. Okay?" His voice vibrating in his chest. "You were injured, alone and hurt. It's happened to the best of us, alright?" He reluctantly stepped back from the hug and held her by the shoulders. He was happy to see she could know look him in the eye, even if she was crying.

"If you ever got lost, I would travel the universe to find you. I wouldn't stop. Ever." He leant forward and pressed a kiss to her temple. "Just like I know you would for me, okay?"

Sam nodded and wrapped her arms around him again. Jack could feel the tension in her body leave and in a cruel twist, he registered what he couldn't have with her. But for now, he'd settle for this.

He waited for her to pull away and raised his eyebrows, when she looked away to collect herself.

"C'mon, we wouldn't want to return to your party to see Daniel dancing like he was on P56 – 3SD."

Sam chuckled. "No, that wouldn't do our reputation any good."

Jack extended his arm and Sam took it. They walked back slowly around the lake and as they reached the path that would lead them back to the square, Sam stopped.

"You okay?"

"We're leaving that in the room, right?"

Jack smiled a sad smile. "Yeah. If you're okay with that?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah."

They began walking again when something Jack said made Sam giggle.

"We're gonna need a bigger room."

oOoOoOoOo

The party went well past the rising of the three suns and before long, the Saorsans had gathered to fare SG-1 farewell.

"I wish you well on your journey." said Bhanrí, bowing lowly to Sam.

Sam winced. "You don't need to do that." she said, pulling the queen regent upright. "Really."

Bhanrí smiled. "If that is what you wish." She reached forward and hugged the blonde. "Thank you for all you have done for Saorsa."

"Let us know if you need anything, medicines, technology. We have people that would help you rebuild." said Jack.

"We are a strong people, I believe we will be fine." said Bhanrí. "However, you are most welcome to our dwellings. In fact, we look forward to your return."

"As do I." said Ceann, shaking Teal'c's good hand.

"Indeed."

"It'd be great to see how you've progressed." said Daniel.

Danu tapped Jack on the shoulder and he nodded. "Alright kids, let's go home."

SG-1, Danu and Banaphri left the settlement to a chorus of cheers and waves and once they were down the hill and on the main path to the stargate, SG-1 breathed a sigh of relief.

Jack had decided to take the rear of the group with Teal'c while Banaphri and Daniel led the way. In the middle of the party, Danu and Sam were deep in discussion.

Jack observed Sam, with a small smile as she spoke animatedly with the Goddess. His little golden haired hero.

"I assume you and Major Carter have spoken."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Teal'c, really?"

"You seem happier, O'Neill."

"I'm happy to be going home." corrected Jack, earning a glare from Danu and Banaphri. "No offense!"

Banaphri chuckled. "None taken, Jack. I know your stay has not been the most pleasant. It will be the next time, I assure you."

"I'll hold you to it."

The party stopped at Danu's tree and it was here the team said their final goodbyes. Hugs were exchanged and Danu beckoned Sam to her.

"I apologise for what transpired. This pack here will see to your injuries." said Danu, handing Sam a small satchel. It clinked as Sam took possession of it.

"Thank you."

"It is a small token in comparison to what you have given me." said Danu softly. She hugged Sam closely. "I do hope you return."

"Me too." concurred Sam with a smile. Jack waved at her, prompting her to nod. "I need to go."

"I also want to apologise for what I said about your men." The Goddess observed them with a warm smile. "You were right about them."

Sam smiled. "Yeah, they're great."

"Carter!"

Danu chuckled. "If a bit bossy. However, I will look forward to your return, Samantha. I hope you have a safe journey."

Sam initiated one last quick hug, before smiling at Danu and turning on her heel to catch up with her boys.

The four made good time towards the stargate and as they reached the DHD, they turned to see the tree in the distance.

"What I want to know, is where Prionn's exiled to." asked Daniel. "I asked Banaphri, but she said she didn't know."

Sam smiled. "Danu is from a different race called Bandi'yas. The third sun in the sky is actually her ship. Prionn is imprisoned there."

"Wow, care to share Carter?"

Sam chuckled. "That's all I know."

Teal'c gave her a half smile as he typed in the address to get home. "He will watch Saorsa evolve before his very eyes."

"Kinda poetic, ain't it." commented Jack. "Well, looks like I got one thing wrong."

"What's that, Sir?" asked Sam, as she input the code.

"This is gonna be one hell of a report." He smirked as Sam and Daniel laughed.

"And we all know how much you love paperwork, Jack." chuckled Daniel, walking up to the stargate, its blue event horizon shimmering proudly, inviting them home.

"Yeah, like a hole in the head." he muttered, nodding for Daniel to go through. Teal'c bowed his head and followed suit.

"Sir?"

"All good. After you, Sam."

Sam smiled at Jack, lighting his insides up more than Saorsa's suns ever could. He watched her ascend the steps and disappear into the stargate. He took one quick look around before smirking to himself and walking towards the event horizon.

"It's all good."


End file.
